


Prime

by breadjin



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2019-11-18 05:28:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 38,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18114224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breadjin/pseuds/breadjin
Summary: Jungeun's a delivery driver and Haseul orders way too many things while she's drunk and alone.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is... a really slow burn. I'll be honest, nothing big happens between Lip and Haseul in this chapter, but things *will* happen in the future, I promise. Let me know what you think and if you're interested in reading more!

Jungeun leaned against a tall filing cabinet, both hands clasped around her gas station coffee cup. She looked around the tiny office at the other drivers, most of whom she didn’t recognize. That wasn’t uncommon working for a delivery service, though, since everyone only met in the morning when they received their routes and maybe in the afternoon if you happened to get back at the same time. Jungeun was one of the only female drivers in this unit, and it showed. The walls were mostly bare throughout the dispatch center, save for a few sports-themed inspirational photos. There were chewing tobacco tins in the vending machines, and Playboy magazines in the breakroom. Jungeun even had to get a uniform specially ordered for her, because women’s sizes weren’t available at this unit, or any of the nearby units for that matter.

            The office door swung open and the team lead, Min-jun, strolled in with a stack of papers in his hand. He silently started to pass them out to their corresponding driver. When he reached Jungeun, he glanced over her paperwork and his eyes widened slightly. He looked up at Jungeun and pressed his mouth into a tight line as he handed it to her. Jungeun arched an eyebrow as she took the paperwork, but the other eyebrow joined its sibling as soon as she read her assignment.

            “Is this for real?” she asked aloud.

            As Min-jun opened his mouth to answer her, the office door slammed open and all eyes turned to the only other woman working in this unit, Jiwoo. Jiwoo looked like she woke up 10 minutes ago. She was hunched over with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Her backpack was swinging lazily off of one arm, her bangs were messily parted down the middle, and Jungeun was pretty sure her shirt was on inside out.

            “Sorry I’m late, I woke up like 15 minutes ago,” Jiwoo wheezed.

            Close enough.

            “Welcome to work,” Min-jun said plainly as he handed off her paperwork.

            Jiwoo straightened up and met eyes with Jungeun. She gave Jungeun a weak smile and wave before looking over her assignment. Jungeun watched Jiwoo as she read, waiting for the realization to hit. As soon as Jiwoo looked back up at Jungeun, her attention was pulled elsewhere.

            “Alright,” Min-jun said from behind his desk. “Weather’s pretty clear today, there’s a backup down 49th due to construction that started last night so find another way around there. Oh, guys, please be mindful of the time while you’re out there. If I find out you came back late because you stopped to play fetch with a dog for an hour, you’re getting written up. Okay? That’s all I have for today so get out of here, and don’t do anything stupid.”

            Everyone immediately started to disperse and talk amongst themselves as they walked out of the office and toward their trucks. Jungeun, however, made a beeline for Min-jun, her paperwork gripped tightly in her hand.

            “Are you serious?” she asked, leaning over his desk and waving the paper around between them.

            “Is there a problem, Miss Kim?” Min-Jun asked, not looking up from his notes.

            “Since when do we have partners on routes?”

            “It’s protocol when you have a large order, and you definitely have a large order on that list.”

            Jungeun hadn’t even looked at the deliveries. She had stopped reading when she saw she would have to go out not with just a partner, but with Jiwoo. It’s not that she disliked Jiwoo, but Jungeun would much rather work alone and at least if a man were paired with her, she could probably go the whole day without speaking more than 10 words. Jiwoo was very extroverted. She often came back late because she talked to any and every person who answered the door for at least 10 minutes. Jungeun didn’t think she could handle an entire day with someone so talkative without snapping at them, and she didn’t feel that Jiwoo deserved that.

            “Is there a problem, Jungeun?” Min-Jun asked, lifting his head to meet Jungeun’s icy glare.

            Jungeun decided she needs this job more than she needed to work alone, so she took a deep breath before answering.

            “No, sir,” she said before straightening up.

            When she turned around, she found Jiwoo still in the same spot as when she entered, her hands fiddling with the paperwork and looking at Jungeun with fear in her eyes. She visibly gulped and Jungeun had to refrain from rolling her eyes. Jungeun hadn’t realized Jiwoo was still in the room, but she also shouldn’t be letting it affect her this much.

            “Well,” Jungeun sighed. “Let’s get going, partner.”

            Jiwoo only nodded as Jungeun passed her on the way to the door. Jungeun could hear her puttering behind her as they walked toward the trucks. Jungeun was starting to feel bad. She didn’t want Jiwoo to think she hated her, especially when they barely knew each other. It would also probably be beneficial for Jungeun if Jiwoo didn’t spend all day anxious and worried about what Jungeun thought of her. Jungeun slowed her pace to walk next to Jiwoo.

            “Hey,” Jungeun said, looking straight ahead. “I don’t want you to take what I said in the office the wrong way. It’s not you, it’s just that I like to work alone. That’s kind of why I wanted to work here.”

            Jungeun could see Jiwoo looking at her and nodding slowly in her peripheral. Jiwoo looked down at the floor as they walked, her hands held behind her back.

            “I understand,” Jiwoo said softly.

            Jungeun could still sense the anxiety radiating off of Jiwoo, but she hoped it would subside as the day went on. Jungeun decided she would do her best to remain pleasant with Jiwoo. When they reached their truck, the question of who would drive was quickly brought up.

            “I don’t mind driving,” Jiwoo said. “It keeps my mind occupied, and I actually kind of enjoy driving these giant things.”

            Jungeun didn’t protest. She hated driving, and she hoped that keeping Jiwoo focused would prevent her from talking excessively, if only a little.

            Soon enough, they were on their way. Since the trucks were typically used by one person, Jungeun sat in a fold-down seat above the truck steps, equipped with its own seatbelt. As she looked over the paperwork to help with directions, she noticed the route was shorter than most days. The farthest stop on the route was all the way out in the end of the suburbs, close to rural territory. Jungeun counted 3 items to drop off there and wondered what the “large order” Min-Jun was talking about was. She turned the page and found the same order continued… for 2 more pages. She checked and re-checked each page, making sure the page numbers were in the right order, matching order numbers on items to the customer, but it was true. There were 45 items to deliver to…

            “Jo Haseul,” Jungeun read aloud.

            “What was that?” Jiwoo shouted from the driver’s seat.

            “We have an order for, brace yourself, forty-five items to a Miss Jo Haseul.”

            Jiwoo’s jaw dropped, though she was still focused on the road ahead. She blinked rapidly for a few moments before quickly glancing over at Jungeun to show her shock. Jungeun simply shook her head, unable to fully process what she was reading.

             The day went by quickly, to Jungeun’s surprise. Jiwoo talked her ear off, but she was actually involved in the conversation and enjoyed listening to what Jiwoo had to say. She was starting to understand how she could befriend customers on the routes so easily. As they approached the second to last house, they saw a small grey dog guarding a fenced-in area in front of the house. Upon seeing the dog, Jiwoo let out an exaggerated gasp and covered her mouth with one hand. When she stopped the truck, she fiddled with her hands and stared at the dog jumping and barking at them from behind the chain-link fence. Jungeun was thoroughly amused by Jiwoo’s reaction and felt herself smile at her cohort.

            “You want to pet that dog, don’t you?” Jungeun asked.

            Jiwoo bit her lip and nodded excitedly, but remained in her seat and only looked longingly at the dog.

            “Well, go do it! What’s stopping you?”

            Jiwoo’s expression became pained and she started to wring her hands as she looked at Jungeun, who was becoming more confused every second she didn’t get out of the truck. Jiwoo kept looking between Jungeun and the dog until Jungeun remembered what Min-Jun had said in the morning meeting.

            “You’re the one who played fetch with a dog for an hour, aren’t you?” Jungeun asked.

            Jiwoo looked like she was about to cry from frustration. She looked down at the steering wheel and nodded solemnly. Jungeun had to laugh, but she felt bad seeing Jiwoo in this state. She decided she wanted to try something.

            “Let’s both get out, and you can pet the dog while I deliver the package. When I come back, I’ll make sure you get back on this truck.”

            Jiwoo’s ears perked up at the idea, but she still seemed hesitant.

            “I’m not sure that I’ll be able to leave him that soon,” Jiwoo said. “He’ll be so sad.”

            “I promise you will get back on this truck before we stay for too long,” Jungeun said.

            Jiwoo didn’t change her expression. She was unconvinced.

            “Trust me,” Jungeun said seriously.

            Jiwoo looked back at the dog and took a deep breath before unbuckling her seatbelt. Jungeun made her way to the back of the truck to collect the package while Jiwoo stepped down and out to meet the dog. When Jungeun emerged from the truck, Jiwoo was practically in the yard with him. There was a small walkway that ran the length of the yard, but providing access to the front door. As Jungeun walked along it, the dog followed, barking and leaping alongside her. Jungeun stopped briefly to pet the dog, but Jiwoo soon captured its attention once more with a stick she had found. Jungeun placed the package in front of the door, snapped a picture, and started her return to retrieve Jiwoo.

            “What a good puppy,” Jiwoo said as the dog brought the stick back to her.

            She pet the dog as much as she could through the fence before throwing the stick again. Jungeun reached Jiwoo as the dog was on its way back with the stick.

            “Alright, time to go, Jiwoo,” Jungeun said.

            Jiwoo whimpered and looked up with what Jungeun could only describe as puppy dog eyes.

            “One more throw?” Jiwoo asked.

            Jungeun knew she had to be firm, but the look on Jiwoo’s face was making it very difficult.

            “Okay,” she said, raising a finger. “One more throw.”

            Jiwoo gleefully praised the dog and then threw the stick as far as she could. The dog took off like an arrow to retrieve it, and Jungeun took the opportunity to gently take Jiwoo’s arm and steer her in the direction of the truck. Jiwoo let herself be pulled, but she pouted as she looked back at the dog now watching her walk away. When they reached the truck and Jiwoo took her place in the driver’s seat, Jungeun watched as she slowly and sadly buckled her seatbelt. Jungeun reached over and patted Jiwoo on the shoulder as she input the address for the last stop in the GPS on the dashboard.

            “You okay?” Jungeun asked.

            “Yeah,” Jiwoo said. “I just hate seeing them so sad when I have to leave.”

            Jungeun nodded in understanding and returned to her seat. She looked over the last order again, ensuring for the nth time that there were really 45 items to deliver. What could this person possibly have ordered? Was it all the same item, or was it several different items? Is she having a party? Does she run a business from her home? The questions were endless. Jiwoo had soon forgotten about the dog and was chattering away about what she wanted to make for dinner and the different wines she had to go along with each dish and Jungeun had stopped listening as soon as she started explaining the reason why red wine is good for your heart. She was starting to get tired of having to socialize, and so had zoned out completely.

            “We’re here!” Jiwoo announced.

            Jungeun jumped at the sound and her eyes shot open behind her sunglasses. She didn’t remember falling asleep and hoped Jiwoo hadn’t noticed. She looked out at their destination and found a small, modest home with a long driveway and winding path to the front door. The houses here were spread out by about half an acre, a sign of being in a transition space between the suburbs and rural living.

            “Do you want to go knock on the door and get her signature while I start pulling her items?” Jiwoo asked.

            “Sure,” Jungeun replied.

            She unbuckled her seatbelt and collected the paperwork along with a clipboard and made her way out of the truck. Once she reached the pavement, she stretched her arms up and shook out her legs before starting down the path to the front door. The house was painted a very light green, but the door and porch were bright white. There was a pair of wooden rocking chairs on the porch with a small table between them. As Jungeun climbed the porch steps, she could see the top of the table had a chess board painted onto it and a small basket underneath held several chess and checker pieces. She rung the doorbell and examined the rest of the porch, noting how spotless everything was. It seemed like this person was either a neat freak, or had just moved in.

             After a couple minutes with no sign of movement behind the door, Jungeun rung the doorbell again and knocked on the door.

            “Delivery for Miss Jo?” she shouted.

            After another minute, Jungeun was about to turn around and head back to the truck when she heard the lock click. The door opened to reveal a tiny girl in a giant t-shirt, blinking into the sunlight and rubbing the back of her neck.

            “Can I help you?” she said groggily.

            Jungeun looked the girl up and down, wondering why she seemed to just be waking up at 1:00 in the afternoon and trying to decide whether or not she was wearing pants. She cleared her throat when she realized she had just been asked a question and hadn’t answered yet.

            “Are you Jo Haseul?” she asked.

            The girl nodded, finally looking up at Jungeun with one eye squeezed shut. Jungeun huffed a small laugh through her nose. Haseul looks very cute when she’s sleepy.

            “I have a delivery for you,” Jungeun said offering the clipboard and pulling a pen from her shirt pocket. “If you could sign here, please.”

            Haseul took the paperwork but not the pen, although Jungeun continued to hold it out for her. Haseul squinted as she read over the order, the confusion in her expression growing as she read.

            “I didn’t order this stuff,” Haseul said, holding the clipboard back out to Jungeun.

            Jungeun raised an eyebrow slightly, looking between the clipboard and Haseul. She used the pen to point at her name on the paper.

            “Isn’t this you?”

            “Yes,” Haseul said.

            “And isn’t this your address?” Jungeun asked as she moved the pen to the line under the name.

            Haseul squinted again as she read the address. Her face fell and she pursed her lips as she pulled the clipboard back to face her.

            “I don’t remember ordering these things,” she said. “But I guess that’s what happens when you drink alone on a Friday night and have your credit card info saved to your phone and AutoFill exists.”

            Jungeun raised an eyebrow at that. Drunk online shopping is actually the perfect reason why someone would have such a huge order. Haseul finished signing the line next to her name and held the clipboard out once more.

            “There’s more,” Jungeun said, shaking her head. “Turn the page.”

            Haseul furrowed her brows and flipped the page. Her eyes widened as she looked over the list, but she signed the bottom of that page and held it out again.

            “One more,” Jungeun said, pressing her mouth into a tight line.

            Haseul’s entire face opened up in disbelief at Jungeun, but she flipped the page. This time, Haseul lifted a hand to her hair and gripped a handful of it. She  groaned loudly, signing the bottom of the page before holding the clipboard out, clearly defeated. Jungeun finally took it but she remained in front of Haseul, checking the signatures. In her peripheral, she could see Haseul cross her arms and lean against the doorframe.

            “Looks good,” Jungeun said as she flipped the pages back to the beginning. “My friend, Jiwoo, and I will be bringing your stuff from the truck. Would you like us to put it inside for you?”

            “Sure, I’m just going to put some coffee on,” Haseul said, opening the door completely and looking down at herself. “And maybe some pants.”

            Jungeun involuntarily smirked, but fought it away when Haseul looked back up at her.

            “What was your name again?” Haseul asked.

            “Jungeun,” she said, extending a hand out. “I don’t think I told you before, actually.”

            Haseul took her hand and squeezed it lightly, a wide grin spreading across her face.

            “Nice to meet you. Please, don’t be shy about going in and out. I’m just going to change and be right out.”

            Jungeun nodded as she let go of Haseul’s hand. She turned on her heel and headed back to the truck. When she arrived, Jiwoo already had a stack of boxes in the entryway to the cage in the back of the truck and was working on another behind it.

            “How’s it going back there?” she asked.

            “Oh, you know, it’s going,” Jiwoo replied. “You were gone for a long time, is everything okay?”

            “Oh, yeah, sorry,” Jungeun said as she looked through the boxes in front of her. “She took a long time opening the door, and then didn’t believe this was all of her stuff.”

            “She didn’t even believe it?” Jiwoo snorted.

            “Nope,” Jungeun said with a laugh. “She was apparently drinking last night, which is how she got to ordering a small mountain of probably random stuff. I think she was asleep when I rang the doorbell. She came to the door without any pants on.”

            Jiwoo stopped sliding a box off of a rack to look at Jungeun, her eyes as wide as saucers.

            “She wasn’t wearing any pants?” she whispered.

            Jungeun only shook her head and grinned at Jiwoo before grabbing the first stack of boxes and stepping down off the truck. The boxes she carried reached just above her head, so she had to look around them to find her way to the door. When she stepped inside, she was in a long sort of hallway that led to a dining room on the right side, a closed door on the left, and a living room at the end. Jungeun decided the living room would probably be best for the boxes, and so placed them in a corner to leave room for the rest. As she stood back up, she heard a door open and close somewhere to the right of the living room.

            “Hey,” Haseul said. “Would you like some coffee, or juice, or anything?”

            Jungeun turned to answer, but the words got stuck in her throat. Haseul was wearing ripped black jeans under a white crop top and Jungeun simply could not overlook the toned midsection separating them. She gulped and forced herself to look up at Haseul’s face instead.

            “Water,” Jungeun said, hoping her face looked more put together than her voice sounded. “If that’s okay.”

            At that moment, Jiwoo was walking into the house with her own stack of boxes. She put them down and looked at Haseul, who was standing in the kitchen with her back turned. She pointed at Haseul and looked at Jungeun.

            “Is that her?” she mouthed.

            Jungeun nodded and quickly looked away when Haseul turned back around. Jungeun saw Jiwoo wave out of the corner of her eye, and she could only imagine the huge smile Jiwoo probably had on her face.

            “Hi, you must be Jiwoo,” Haseul said. “Would you like some water, too?”

            “Oh, yes ma’am,” Jiwoo replied.

            Haseul nodded and returned to the coffee she was brewing.

            Jungeun took this opportunity and pulled Jiwoo out of the house with her and back toward the truck.

            “She seems nice,” Jiwoo said when they were a good distance away.

            Jungeun looked at Jiwoo and opened her mouth to speak, but decided not to and turned her attention back to the truck.

            “You okay, Jungeun?” Jiwoo asked.

            They reached the truck and Jungeun waited until they were safely inside the cage where no one could see them to explain what was on her mind.

            “She’s—” Jungeun stopped herself, trying to find the right words. “Do you think she’s cute?”

            Jiwoo seemed confused by the question, but Jungeun could see her considering it before she answered.

            “Yeah, she’s pretty cute… why?”

            “Well,” Jungeun took a dramatic pause. “I also think she’s cute. And when I think someone is cute, it becomes very difficult for me to act like a normal human being.”

            Jungeun knew how ridiculous she sounded, but she needed Jiwoo to know and hopefully save her from any embarrassment. Jiwoo squinted at Jungeun, probably unsure of what to say.

            “I was totally fine with Sleepy Jo Haseul, but Crop Top Jo Haseul With Abs was a little more than I could handle,” Jungeun continued.

            Jiwoo’s face was now morphing into a smile, and eventually full-blown giggles. She covered her mouth as she laughed, trying to hold it back.

            “You’ve got the hots for the lady who drunkenly bought 45 random items with next-day delivery?” Jiwoo asked.

            Jungeun moved her hands from her hair to her face and groaned loudly, though it was muffled by her hands. Jiwoo’s giggling had died down, but not completely disappeared as she started to build another stack of boxes. Jungeun slid her hands slowly down her face, dragging her bottom lip and her eyes down with them. She felt like jumping into a ditch to save her from having to go back inside.

            “Here you go, partner,” Jiwoo said as she finished off a tall stack.

            Jungeun squeezed her eyes shut and whined, but she squatted down to pick up the boxes anyway. She carefully climbed down from the truck and started down the path again. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, but she also wanted to stay and talk to the cutie inside. So what if she made a bad drunken decision? She obviously had the money to do it, and she didn’t even seem that bothered by it. Jungeun wondered what she planned to do with all of this stuff. Would she sell it? Return it? See if any of it was worth keeping? These are things Jungeun could ask her if she wasn’t this way. Too soon, she reached the entrance and made her way inside. As she came into view of the kitchen, she caught a glance of Haseul leaning over the counter and checking her phone. Her stomach was hidden behind the counter, and Jungeun was grateful (and a little disappointed, admittedly) for it. Jungeun put the boxes down and started to head back for the door without looking toward Haseul again.

            “Hey, I’ve got your water here,” Haseul said before she got too far.

            Jungeun stopped in her tracks and turned her head to Haseul, who was sliding a glass of ice water toward her. Jungeun looked at the water and then back at a grinning Haseul. Jungeun mustered a weak smile and stepped forward to take the glass. She lifted it to her mouth and raised it in thanks toward Haseul before gulping it down. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she was.

            “Wow, you downed that,” Haseul said as Jungeun placed the glass down. “Here, I’ll get you some more.”

            Haseul turned to the fridge behind her and pulled out a pitcher of water. Jungeun noticed an empty fridge except for a few produce items, milk, and the pitcher. She was briefly distracted by that observation until Haseul turned back around and Jungeun quickly looked down at the glass still in her hand. Haseul was refilling the glass when Jiwoo walked in with her stack. Haseul looked up at her and gave her the same warm grin she had been giving Jungeun.

            “Hey, I’ve got water for you too,” Haseul said to Jiwoo.

            Jiwoo put down the boxes and stood by Jungeun at the counter. Jungeun was sipping at her water this time, using both hands to keep it from shaking too obviously. When Haseul had her back turned to find another glass, Jiwoo nudged Jungeun to get her attention and wiggled her eyebrows at her. Jungeun elbowed Jiwoo in the side just as Haseul turned back to them, but she didn’t seem to notice Jiwoo wincing. Haseul poured water into the new glass and slid it toward Jiwoo.

            “Thanks,” Jiwoo said before taking a sip.

            The three of them stood in awkward silence, Jungeun examining the house to prolong looking at Haseul as long as possible. When the silence went on for long enough and she felt she had to look at Haseul, she was surprised to see Haseul looking back. Actually, Haseul looked like she had just been caught in a lie. Her smile had quickly dropped, and her cheeks were tinted pink. Jungeun felt her ears getting hot, so she took another sip of water and tapped Jiwoo on the shoulder.

            “I think we can get the rest in one more trip, yeah?” she asked.

            Jiwoo nodded as she took one last gulp of water. They both put their glasses down and hurried out the door. As they stepped off the porch, Jiwoo gripped Jungeun’s arm.

            “I saw her looking at you,” she whispered. “She wants you.”

            “Are you insane? No, she doesn’t.”

            “I’m telling you, she was giving you the eye dude, you gotta make a move.”

            They reached the truck and Jungeun hurried inside without another word. She started to collect half of the rest of the boxes and create them into the tallest stack yet. She worked silently and quickly, the anxiety of Jiwoo’s words and what she thought she saw getting to her. She needed to get out of here and fast. She picked up the boxes and carefully lowered them to make it out of the cage. Once she was clear, she turned climb down the steps of the truck, but missed the first step and fumbled out onto the pavement. The boxes flew everywhere, and Jungeun could hear Jiwoo yelling from the truck, although she couldn’t make out what she was saying. Jungeun used her arms to prop her upper body up off the ground, but when she tried to stand up, a searing pain shot through her left ankle. She yelled out from the shock and grabbed at her leg. Jiwoo leapt out of the truck and ran to Jungeun’s side.

            “Ohmygod ohmygod are you okay?” Jiwoo asked.

            “I’m fine, I just hurt my ankle. I”ll be fi-- ahhh” Jungeun whined as she tried to stand up again.

            Jiwoo looked at Jungeun’s ankle and gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

            “What? What’s wrong?” Jungeun asked.

            “I don’t think your ankle should bend that way,” Jiwoo said, pointing.

            Jungeun looked down at her ankle and realized Jiwoo was right. Her left ankle was turned inward, completely perpendicular to her right leg.

            “Well, that’s not good,” Jungeun said matter-of-factly.


	2. Crack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jungeun goes to the hospital and Haseul gets gutsy

           “ShitshitshitshitshitshitSHIT.”

            Jiwoo was having a much harder time with what happened than Jungeun, but before she could even try to calm Jiwoo down, a third voice came from behind them.

            “Hey, is everything okay?” Haseul called out.

            Jungeun cursed under her breath before twisting to look at Haseul, who somehow looked even cuter when she was upset.

            “Everything’s fine, Ms. Jo,” Jungeun said with a forced smile. “Nothing to worry about here.”

            Haseul continued walking toward them until she finally caught a glimpse of Jungeun’s ankle, and she halted to a stop. Her hands clenched into fists, her face grew pale, and her shoulders raised to her ears in shock. Jungeun winced to see Haseul react this way; she didn’t need this kind of attention right now.

            “Jungeun,” Jiwoo said, exasperated. “We need to get you to a hospital. I’m calling an ambulance right now.”

            Jiwoo pulled her phone out and started to dial, but Jungeun reached a hand out in protest.

            “No, please, I’m fine,” she said in a strained voice. “I just need to rest for a minute. I’ll be okay.”

            Something seemed to click in Haseul upon hearing  that, because she instantly snapped her focus to Jungeun’s face and pinched her eyebrows together in anger.

            “Oh no,” Haseul said sternly. “You are going to a hospital, missy. Do you see your ankle right now? It’s broken!”

            Jungeun whined softly and looked back to Jiwoo, who looked like she was on the verge of tears. She kept glancing at Jungeun’s ankle and squeezing her eyes shut, gripping the phone in her hand a little tighter each time. Jungeun couldn’t help but feel helpless and stupid for not watching her step. Now she had embarrassed herself in front of Haseul and Jiwoo, not to mention the hospital bill she would have to deal with. She felt a wave of anxiety crash over her and sighed audibly as she lowered her head, letting her hair fall where it may.

            “We really should go,” Jiwoo pleaded. “I can call Min-Jun on the way there. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

            “He won’t,” Jungeun said from behind her hair. “You know him. He’ll write us both up for carelessness and tardiness. You shouldn’t be punished for my stupid mistake.”

            Jungeun heard Jiwoo whimper, but she knew that Jiwoo knew she was right. Jungeun was about to give in and ask Jiwoo to call her an ambulance when Haseul spoke up.

            “I can drive you,” Haseul offered.

            Jungeun snapped her head up and met Haseul’s gaze.

             “You—what?” Jungeun was baffled.

             “I don’t mind,” Haseul said, shaking her head.

             Jungeun narrowed her eyes at Haseul. She couldn’t understand why Haseul could possibly want to help her, a complete stranger. What could she possibly have to gain from this?

            “Seriously,” Haseul said, taking a small step forward. “I want to help.”

            Jungeun tore her eyes away from Haseul and looked to Jiwoo for help. Jiwoo was staring at Haseul looking just as confused as Jungeun was. She seemed to consider it, mulling it over in her head before looking at Jungeun and shrugging.

            “If you’re comfortable with it, I can call Min-Jun and tell him everything,” Jiwoo said. “I’ll take the truck back and come visit you in the hospital as soon as I can.”

            Jungeun looked back at Haseul, who had the most concerned and caring look Jungeun could recall ever seeing before. It was enough to make her want to trust Haseul completely right then and there, but she knew better than to let go so easily. Haseul stepped closer and reached a hand out to Jungeun.

            “I promise, I just want to help,” Haseul said gently.

            Jungeun looked at the hand tentatively, but eventually took it and attempted to stand. She managed to get herself most of the way up, but when she lost her balance and nearly fell, she had to grab onto Haseul’s shoulders for support. Haseul grabbed Jungeun’s arms in turn, trying to help her maintain her balance. Jungeun quickly realized she was now touching Haseul much more than she anticipated ever doing, much less within the first hour of meeting her. She quickly loosened her grip on Haseul’s shoulders, though not completely. Haseul gently removed Jungeun’s arms and rearranged herself so that Jungeun’s left arm was around her neck. She looped her arm around Jungeun’s waist and held firm, ensuring Jungeun had enough support to hold herself up. Every movement bringing their bodies closer together only made Jungeun’s heart rate rise to dangerous levels. She could feel herself start to sweat, and she hoped desperately that it wouldn’t become obvious.

            “You okay?” Haseul asked.

            Jungeun hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until she found she had none to produce an answer. She nodded as she took a deep breath and looked to Jiwoo.

            “You have my number, right?” Jungeun asked.

            “Yup,” Jiwoo said as she gave her a thumbs up. “I’ll call you as soon as I’m out. Drop your location to me when you get there.”

            “I will,” Jungeun said. “And thank you, Jiwoo. I had a really great day with you.”

            Jiwoo smiled genuinely, some tension noticeably releasing from her shoulders. She suddenly made a face like she had just remembered something.

            “Oh, Ms. Jo,” Jiwoo said. “The rest of your stuff is still out here. I’ll bring it in for you.”

            “Oh,” Haseul said, looking at the boxes strewn all over the area. “Yes, that’s fine. I’m going to take Jungeun to the hospital right away, so can you please lock the front door for me when you go? There’s a key under the chess table, it’s just stuck to a magnet so it should pull right off.”

            Jiwoo tilted her head, her expression a mix of surprised and impressed.

            “Chess table. Got it,” she said. “Take care of Jungeun, please.”

            “I will, I promise,” Haseul replied with a smile.

            Something about the way Haseul made that promise made Jungeun’s insides feel like they were on fire. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise up as Haseul turned that smile on her before starting their trek to the house. They made their way inside and through the previously closed door on the left side of the main hallway. There was a small laundry room with a door to the garage on the other side. When the garage door opened and the light poured in from the outside and Jungeun saw what she would be riding in, her jaw dropped. In the middle of the garage, there was a jungle red hard-top convertible, sleek and (Jungeun never thought she’d find a reason to refer to a car this way but…) sexy. Jungeun felt like her jaw was going to reach the floor. She looked to Haseul, who had a smug smile on her face as she looked at her car.

            “Who are you?” Jungeun asked without thinking.

            Haseul looked at Jungeun and smiled wide enough that her eyes crinkled slightly.

            “I’m Jo Haseul,” she said as if it were the most obvious answer. “Come on, let’s get you inside.”

            Haseul opened the car door and helped Jungeun lower herself into the passenger seat. Before Jungeun could attempt to do it herself, Haseul then lifted her legs and swiveled the rest of her body into the car. She probably would have buckled her in too, if Jungeun hadn’t reached for the seatbelt first.

            “Are you okay?” Haseul asked. “Any discomfort at all?”

            Jungeun shook her head, grinning like a fool. She knew she was in good hands. Haseul grinned back and shut the car door. She quickly made her way to the driver’s side and buckled herself in before reaching for a compartment in the roof and pulling out a pair of large circular sunglasses. She pushed a button and the car roared to life, gently humming beneath them. Haseul put her sunglasses on the way they do in the movies, but Jungeun couldn’t quite tell if she was doing it on purpose or if she was just that cool. Jungeun knew she must look like a complete dunce, staring at Haseul so obviously, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Haseul was unlike anyone she had ever met, and there was obviously a lot to learn about her.

            Haseul drove aggressively, yet safely at the same time. She always used turn signals, always checked her surroundings, but drove just over the speed limit (not enough to be pulled over, but enough to need to weave between cars at times) and was very liberal with her car horn. It was both hot and terrifying. Jungeun could feel herself sweating worse than before, but she couldn’t tell if it was from fear or desire. She tried to focus on her ankle, which felt surprisingly painless, to distract her from thinking too much about her current situation with Haseul.

            When they finally arrived at the hospital, Jungeun quickly shared her location with Jiwoo before leaning forward to look at the looming building before them. The last time Jungeun was in a hospital was the day after she was born. She thought she’d never have to return at least for another 50 years. As all of the worst-case scenarios she could think of flashed before her eyes, she felt a hand rest on top of hers. She looked at Haseul’s hand and then at Haseul, who had that caring and concerned look on her face again.

            “It’ll be okay,” Haseul said, patting Jungeun’s hand. “When I broke my collarbone last year, I came here and they were really nice. I was in and out within a few days.”

            “Days?!” Jungeun asked, her voice rising at least two octaves.

            “Don’t worry,” Haseul said as her eyebrows pinched together in worry. “I’ll stay as long as you need me to.”

            Jungeun appreciated that, but the thoughts from earlier had crept back into her mind.

            “Why are you being so nice to me? You don’t even know me.”

            Haseul reflexively leaned back and pulled her hand away, clearly taken aback by that comment. Jungeun realized her tone may have been a little harsh. She tried to soften her expression in an effort to not make Haseul uncomfortable. Haseul’s eyes wandered down the space between them as if searching for what to say.

            “I know what it’s like to be scared and alone at a hospital, and I don’t want anyone else to have to go through that,” Haseul said, still looking away from Jungeun. “I may not know much more than your name, but I’m not going to just abandon you either.”

            Jungeun appreciated that. She couldn’t remember the last time, if any, that she had met someone this genuinely kind and thoughtful. Jungeun could tell by her tone that Haseul only wanted to help, and who was she to refuse that?

            “Once Jiwoo gets here, I can leave if you want me to,” Haseul said at barely a whisper.

            Jungeun instinctively reached out and touched Haseul’s shoulder. When Haseul looked up to meet her gaze, Jungeun had to force herself not to look away. It was then that she noticed Haseul had tiny green flecks in her irises, making them almost twinkle in the light.

            “Thank you,” Jungeun said “I really appreciate your kindness, but you really don’t have to. I can’t say that I would be opposed to having you around, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to.”

            “I want to,” Haseul said, and Jungeun knew she meant it.

            Haseul helped Jungeun inside and up to the emergency room desk. The whole building was abuzz with doctors and nurses rushing past, family members asking questions, and the occasional moan from a patient in pain. Haseul kept an arm around Jungeun to support her as she answered questions from the nurse. Soon enough, they were directed to take a seat and wait to be called. Haseul and Jungeun scoped the seating area until they found a small cluster of unoccupied chairs in a back corner. As Jungeun settled into her chair and checked her phone, she found a text from Jiwoo.

            Jiwoo: Hey I’m on my way to the hospital now. Do you need anything?

            Me: No thx

            Me:  Just sat down in the waiting room, not sure how long it’ll be

            Jiwoo: Are there a lot of people?

            Me: Ohhhh yeah

            Jiwoo: Oof okay

            Jiwoo: I’ll be there in like 20

            Me: See you soon

            Jungeun and Haseul sat beside each other in comfortable silence, observing the waiting room and its inhabitants until Jiwoo came into view at the front of the room, still in her uniform.  Jungeun waved her arms to get her attention, and Jiwoo immediately found her. Jiwoo ran through the seats and when she reached her, she enveloped Jungeun in a tight hug. Jungeun tensed up, surprised at the sudden affection, but eventually patted Jiwoo on the back in response. Jiwoo sat down on the other side of Jungeun and made a small wave at Haseul, who nodded back.

            “How are you feeling?” Jiwoo asked Jungeun.

            “I’m fine,” Jungeun said, gesturing to her ankle. “I don’t even feel anything, honestly.”

            “Oh, I’m sure you’ll feel it once they shove it back into place,” Jiwoo warned.

            Jungeun shuddered at the thought of someone snapping her ankle back to where it’s supposed to be. She looked down at her ankle and observed it closely for the first time. It really did look gross, completely bent at a 90-degree angle. She was grateful that Jiwoo and Haseul had seemed to get over the sight of it pretty quickly.

            “I’m going to go find a snack,” Haseul said, standing up suddenly. “You guys want anything?”

            At that moment, Jungeun’s stomach grumbled loudly and she realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

            “I’m going to take that as a yes,” Haseul said with a laugh. “I’ll bring you something. Jiwoo, keep an eye on her, will ya?”

            Jiwoo saluted Haseul cheerfully as she walked away. Once Haseul had moved out of sight, Jiwoo linked her arm around Jungeun’s and rested her chin on her shoulder.

            “So, are you guys girlfriends yet or what?” Jiwoo asked.

            “Not even close,” Jungeun said, shaking Jiwoo off and laughing.

            “Then why is she still here?” Jiwoo asked as she wiggled her eyebrows. “She could have just dropped you off, but here we are! She’s still here and she even offered to get food for you? That’s girlfriend culture if you ask me.”

            Jungeun only shook her head and rolled her eyes. Haseul was just too nice to leave her here alone, and she wanted to make sure Jungeun had someone there for her when she needed it. Of course, it had crossed Jungeun’s mind that maybe there was something deeper than just kindness, but she also knew it was extremely far-fetched to think so.

            “Seriously, I’m calling it now,” Jiwoo said. “You guys are going to get really close, and fall in love, and then you’ll smooch, and I’ll be the flower girl at your wedding. It’s just that simple.”

            “I’m pretty sure some of that was out of order, but either way it’s not like that,” Jungeun insisted. “She’s just a genuinely nice person doing a nice thing. She said she knows what it’s like to be in a hospital by yourself, and she just doesn’t want me to have to deal with that.”

            “Mmmm-hmmm,” Jiwoo said sarcastically. “Sure, she says that, and it’s probably true! But she is definitely into you, dude.”

            Haseul appeared at the front of the waiting room, her arms full of bags of chips. Jungeun nudged Jiwoo and nodded in Haseul’s direction to show that she was almost back. Jiwoo noted Haseul approaching and made small kissy noises before Jungeun fully elbowed her in the ribs. Jiwoo groaned aloud and was gripping her side when Haseul reached them.

            “You okay, Jiwoo?” Haseul asked with concern.

            “Yeah, just… bad posture,” Jiwoo said, wincing.

            Haseul didn’t seem to believe her, but she let it go and held the bags out in front of Jungeun and Jiwoo.

            “Take your pick, I got one of everything,” Haseul offered.

            Jungeun quickly picked a bag of cheese puffs and had opened the bag eagerly when she heard her name being called.

            “Ms. Kim Jungeun?” a nurse called.

            Jungeun moved to stand up without thinking and groaned at the pain that shot up her leg. Haseul raised her hand to the nurse and pointed at Jungeun before reaching down to help her up. Jiwoo stood up to help on the other side, but Haseul put up the hand around Jungeun’s waist.

            “I got this,” Haseul said, smiling at Jiwoo. “Stay here and guard the chips. I’ll be right back.”

            Jiwoo nodded and reached out to squeeze Jungeun’s shoulder lightly before sitting back down. Jungeun turned her attention toward the nurse who was impatiently waiting for them and urged Haseul to help her move forward.

            “Once they get you into a room,” Haseul whispered. “They’re probably going to put an IV in you, but don’t worry.”

             Jungeun had tensed up and looked at Haseul with fear in her eyes.

             “You can’t even feel it, and they more than likely won’t put anything in it but a saline solution until they decide what will work best for you. I won’t be able to stay with you for now, but I’ll be right out here and Jiwoo and I will be in to see you as soon as we can, okay?”

            Jungeun nodded, but she could still feel a ripple of fear run through her body as they reached the nurse, who Jungeun now realized had a wheelchair at her feet. Haseul helped Jungeun into the wheelchair and squatted to her level once she was settled. Haseul took both of Jungeun’s hands and looked directly into her eyes.

            “You’re in good hands. Stay strong. We’ll be right here waiting, I promise.”

            The nurse urged them to wrap up by gently starting to pull the wheelchair away. Jungeun could feel Haseul’s hands slipping from hers and she was making a note of how soft they were when she felt a sudden warmth on the side of her face. It was only when Haseul had pulled away and Jungeun raised a hand to her cheek that she realized she had just been kissed. Jungeun was whisked away by the nurse and the last thing she saw before the doors closed was Haseul’s bashful smile. Jungeun was grateful that Haseul couldn’t see her ears turning bright red, like she knew they had to be right now. Nonetheless, at least she had something to think about while she was on her own.

            The next few hours were a blur. They first took her to a separate office where they took x-rays of her ankle, and then to a room with two empty beds. They provided her with one of those open-back gowns (the breeze on her ass was not appreciated) and told her to choose a bed and that someone would be in shortly to help her. Doctors and nurses rushed in and out of her room, mostly asking the same few questions over and over again. Jungeun answered them all as patiently as she could, waiting for someone to actually offer help rather than just sympathy. Eventually, after about 30 minutes of no activity in her room, Jungeun’s eyes became heavy and she drifted to sleep.

            “Hey,” someone whispered. “Wake up, sleepyhead.”

            Jungeun’s eyes fluttered open slowly, and Haseul’s face came into view, as bright and beautiful as ever. Jungeun smiled weakly and looked around the room.

            “Where’s Jiwoo?” Jungeun asked.

            “She went home to change and probably take a nap. She was really tired.”

            “Oh,” Jungeun said, a little disappointed.

            Haseul was leaning against the wall beside her hospital bed, watching Jungeun intensely.

            “How long have I been in here?” Jungeun asked.

            “Oh, like 5 hours now?” Haseul said with a shrug.

            “Wow,” Jungeun said as she widened her eyes in surprise. “And you’re still here?”

            “Of course I am,” Haseul said. “I promised I would stay, didn’t I?”

            Jungeun could only blink at Haseul, a sheepish smile spreading across her face.

            “You’re really cute when you’re sleeping,” Haseul said. “You even have a cute snore.”

            Jungeun’s smile fell at that remark, she hid her face in her hands and groaned. She knew that she snored, but she didn’t need Haseul to know that she snored. Jungeun turned away to hide her embarrassment, but Haseul pulled her back and pried her hands from her face.

            “It was really cute,” Haseul giggled. “I promise it was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”

            Jungeun shook her head and whined, turning away again, but this time Haseul gently pulled her back with a finger on her chin. Haseul locked eyes with Jungeun and leaned forward so that their faces were inches apart. Her eyes flashed down to Jungeun’s lips and back to her eyes.

            “You are the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” Haseul whispered as she inched forward and closed her eyes.

            Jungeun couldn’t believe her own life, but she willed her eyes to slowly close and prepare herself for the moment she’d been daydreaming about all day.

            “Jungeun, is it?” a voice boomed.

            Jungeun jolted awake as the door to her room slammed against the wall and a tall, dark- haired doctor burst in. She quickly sat up and looked around for Haseul, but she was nowhere to be found.

            “Damn it,” Jungeun cursed under her breath.

            “What was that?” the doctor asked.

            “Uh, yes, I’m Jungeun.”

            “Great! I’m Dr. Park. So,” the doctor said, affixing an x-ray to a machine on the wall and turning on the light behind it. “Your ankle. It’s broken.”

            Jungeun only raised an eyebrow at him.

            “No surprise there, I see.”

            Jungeun snorted and shook her head.

            “And not much of a talker, I take it.”

            Jungeun shrugged. She could talk, but now that he’d mentioned it, she liked playing this game. Dr. Park and Jungeun stared at each other for a while before he gave up and continued with his analysis.

            “Okay! Well, your ankle’s dislocated and broken here and here,” Dr. Park said, pointing with a pen. “It’ll take probably about 3 months for it to fully heal. We’ll put you in several different types of casts over those 3 months until you’re able to use your ankle to the fullest extent. Make sense?”

            Jungeun nodded once.

            “Okay, but first things first. We’re going to have to twist that baby back into place as much as we can so that the bones can heal correctly.”

            Jungeun scrunched her nose at the thought.

            “That’s going to be the worst part. But that’s why we have painkillers, right?” Dr. Park laughed.

            Jungeun kept a neutral face at his joke.

            “Right,” Dr. Park cleared his throat. “I’ll find someone to help with that, and I’ll be right back. Any questions before I go?”

            Jungeun wanted to keep up the silent game, but she did have one burning question.

            “How long do you think before I can go home?”

            Dr. Park looked at the x-ray on the machine and back at Jungeun.

            “Well, you don’t need surgery, so I can’t see you staying here past tomorrow.”

            Jungeun’s shoulders slumped at his answer. She was really hoping he’d say something along the lines of “this afternoon,” but she knew it couldn’t possibly be that easy. Still, one night at the hospital isn’t quite the end of the world.

            “Anything else?” Dr. Park asked.

            Jungeun shook her head and Dr. Park left her alone in the room once more. She flopped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, trying and failing to not to think about her ankle being manhandled back into place. She tried to think about Haseul, but it made her sad to think that she probably wouldn’t stay overnight and that meant she may never see her again. Eventually the doctor returned with a nurse to help with the procedure. They barely counted to 3 before they snapped Jungeun’s ankle to the correct position in one pull. Jungeun opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out and she only felt tears stream down her face. The nurse waved a tissue at Jungeun between wrapping her ankle tenderly. Once it was wrapped, she injected a liquid into Jungeun’s IV as Dr. Park explained how the first cast will work and what prescriptions she’ll be taking.

            “That should be it, and the morphine should kick in any second now,” Dr. Park said. “Any other questions for me?”

            “When can I have visitors?” Jungeun started to ask before he even finished his question.

            “Oh, they can come in now if they’d like,” he said. “I’ll let the nurses know to let them in.”

            Jungeun nodded in thanks as he walked out. She suddenly felt anxious about seeing Haseul again. She looked down at her gown, the IV stuck in her arm, the heartbeat monitor on her finger, and imagined how lame she must look.

            “Maybe Haseul should wait until I can put my own clothes on again,” Jungeun thought to herself.

            Her thoughts were cut short when she heard the door click. Haseul poked her head in and smiled wide when she saw Jungeun. She made her way inside and closed the door behind her, but Jiwoo wasn’t with her.

            “Hey,” Jungeun said warmly. “Where’s Jiwoo?”

            “She went home to change,” Haseul said, pointing a thumb toward the lobby. “She said she’d come back later. I texted her to let her know we could come visit you now.”

            “How long have you been waiting?” Jungeun asked.

            “Oh, it’s been like… 3 hours?”

            Jungeun felt like she was experiencing déja vu. She pushed that dream out of her head and tried to focus on the girl in front of her.

            “Oh shit, I’m sorry,” Jungeun said, her smile faltering.

            “Don’t worry about it,” Haseul said with a wave of her hand. “Jiwoo and I had a nice chat.”

            Jungeun’s eyes widened slightly at that. She could only imagine what Jiwoo could have told her to try and set them up.

            “Oh?” she said as more of a statement than a question. “What did you guys talk about?”

            Jungeun saw a faint blush form on Haseul’s cheeks as she looked down at her feet.

            “Just… stuff,” Haseul said. “We talked about you, mostly. She really looks up to you.”

            Jungeun was surprised to hear that. She had worked with Jiwoo for almost a year and they barely spoke until today.

            “Really?” she asked.

            Haseul nodded and looked up at Jungeun with a grin.

            “How are you feeling? I see they popped your ankle back in place,” Haseul said, nodding toward Jungeun’s leg.

            “Ah yeah, that really sucked,” Jungeun said. “I kind of forgot about it since the morphine kicked in.”

            “Cool,” Haseul said, stepping closer to Jungeun’s bed.

            They sat in an awkward silence for a moment, Jungeun scrambling for something to say that didn’t sound forced or stupid.

            “They said I can probably leave tomorrow,” Jungeun said.

            Haseul perked up at that, leaning forward to gently touch Jungeun’s shoulder.

            “That’s awesome! I can’t wait to take you home,” Haseul said excitedly.

            Jungeun’s face dropped and, upon seeing it, Haseul dropped hers as she realized what she said.

            “Wait, that sounded weird. I meant like take you home as in get you out of here, not take you home as in to my home. I mean, if you needed to stay at my home you can, I just…”

            Haseul stopped talking and just stared at Jungeun, who was fighting back a smile. Rambling Haseul: another weakness to add to the list. At least it was getting easier for Jungeun to stay calm around her.

            “I know what you meant,” Jungeun said with a laugh.

            Haseul laughed nervously and rubbed at the back of her neck before lifting a finger and pulling out her phone.

            “Hey, I realized in the waiting room I don’t have your number,” she said.

            Jungeun held out her hand and Haseul placed her iPhone into it. Jungeun quickly created a new contact of herself and added the bandaged emoji next to her name. She texted herself and handed the phone back to Haseul, who chuckled at seeing the contact name.

            “Where’s yours?” Haseul asked.

            “It’s in my pants over there,” Jungeun said, pointing to her pile of clothes neatly folded on a chair.

            Haseul walked over to them and pointed.

            “May I?” she asked Jungeun.

            Jungeun narrowed her eyes, suspicious about what she wanted to do, but nodded anyway. Haseul reached into a pocket and found Jungeun’s phone. She held it out for Jungeun to unlock and started to use it. After a few seconds, she locked and handed the phone to Jungeun, who eagerly opened it to see what she had done. Jungeun found a text to herself from “Haseul” with a green heart next to it. She could feel her ears starting to burn again and she looked up to find Haseul wearing a shy smile. Jungeun felt goosebumps rise all over her arms, and for a moment they were the only two people in the world.

            The rest of the day went by rather quickly. Jiwoo arrived and visited for about an hour before visiting hours were over and they were asked to leave. Haseul promised to be back early the next morning to wait until Jungeun was released and take her home. Jiwoo offered to take her home instead, but Haseul simply would not have it. Jiwoo made Jungeun promise to text her with any updates and to call her the moment she got home. Jungeun laughed at the intensity of care from her new friends. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so loved. The nurses came with food before leaving Jungeun to sleep for the rest of the night.

            When Jungeun woke up, there was someone else in the room with her. Another patient was lying in the other bed in her room, her arm in a sling. She looked at Jungeun as she was waking up and waved with her good arm.

            “Hey, I’m Hyunjin,” she said.

            “Jungeun.”

            “What’d you do to your ankle?” Hyunjin asked.

            “I fell off a truck,” Jungeun said plainly.

            “Ah,” Hyunjin said, slightly lifting the arm in a sling. “I got dared to do a triple back handspring and failed.”

            “Did you… know how to do one of those when you took the dare?” Jungeun asked.

            “Nope,” Hyunjin said with a smile.

            Jungeun looked at her roommate incredulously before nodding slowly and reaching for her phone to check it. There were six texts from Jiwoo and one from Haseul. Jungeun replied to Jiwoo’s demands for updates before opening the one from Haseul that simply wrote:

 

            I’m here, let me know when they set you free :)

 

            It was sent at 6:08 AM. It was now 10:37 AM. Jungeun felt her heart swell at knowing Haseul was out there waiting for her. She sighed at herself, feeling foolish for getting so excited about this. Haseul was just a nice person. A nice person who puts hearts next to her name in stranger’s phones. Nothing special there.

            “Good Morning, Jungeun,” Dr. Park said as he made his way into the room. “Ready to get that cast on and get out of here?”

            Jungeun nodded eagerly, going back to the silent game.

            “Perfect, it’s on the way now, so hold tight.”

            Dr. Park turned his attention to Hyunjin and chatted with her about her arm. Jungeun tuned them out, daydreaming about seeing Haseul again. The nurses arrived shortly after with her cast and they got to work attaching it to her leg. Ten minutes later, Jungeun was being helped to the bathroom to change back into her own clothes. She quickly texted Haseul to let her know she would be out in a few minutes. She got a reply within seconds.

 

            Yay! See you soon <3

 

            Jungeun felt her heart do a few somersaults at seeing that heart at the end of the message. She left the bathroom and quickly sat in the wheelchair waiting for her. A nurse pushed her out and down the winding hallways to the waiting room, where Haseul was already standing by the doors and ready to receive her. She gave Jungeun a quick hug and took control of the chair to wheel her out of the hospital.

            “You’re free,” Haseul said excitedly as they walked out the front doors. “How does it feel, Miss Kim?”

            “I’m so happy to be out of there,” Jungeun sighed.

            When they reached the car, Haseul pulled Jungeun up to the passenger side and opened the door. Jungeun was able to step into the car herself, but Haseul still reached in to grab her seatbelt and buckle her in. As she clicked the end into the buckle, Haseul lingered there, leaning over Jungeun.

            “I’m really glad you’re okay,” Haseul said softly.

            Jungeun couldn’t find words to use with Haseul being so close to her. She only managed to smile weakly at her.

            “Can I ask you something?” Haseul asked. “It’s kind of lame and maybe too soon, but I just really need to ask you.”

            Jungeun gulped and nodded slowly, suddenly afraid of what was to come.

            “Can I take you out sometime?” Haseul’s voice cracked a bit as she said it, her voice thick with nerves.

            Jungeun swallowed again, in a bit of shock at the question. She had tried so hard to convince herself that this would never happen, she wasn’t ready when it did, but she was determined to actually say something this time.

            “Yeah,” Jungeun said meekly. “I would really like that.”

            Haseul seemed to let out a breath she had been holding in for a while. She smiled so wide her eyes nearly disappeared and quickly pecked Jungeun on the cheek.

            “Great,” Haseul said. “It’s a date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm feeling INSECURE so if it sucked i'm SORRY :)


	3. Strike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I really appreciate all your comments! They've really helped me feel less insecure about this story <3 This update came much sooner than the last because I was also impatient about when Lipseul was actually gonna DO SOMETHING so here we are :) Hope y'all like it!

 

       Several days passed after Haseul took Jungeun back to her apartment, but they still hadn’t planned a date. Instead, they spent every second of the day texting each other about anything and everything. One of them would fall asleep and in the morning, the conversation would pick up as if no time had passed at all. They sent each other cute selfies every day, links to vine compilations, and animoji videos to tell the stories that were too long to text. They never brought up talking on the phone, and they never brought up setting up the actual date. That is, until one night when Jungeun was drinking alone at home.

 

_Me: what do you like to drink?_

 

_Haseul:_ _vodka cranberries. you?_

 

_Me: wow basic_

 

_Haseul_ _: shut up i bet you drink rum and coke and put a lime in it to make it “fancier”_

 

_Me: …_

 

_Haseul_ _: and you’re probably a lightweight_

 

_Me: i don’t deserve this slander_

 

_Haseul_ _: HAH i knew it_

 

_Me: >:(_

 

_Haseul_ _: cute_

 

         Jungeun’s stomach flipped. No matter how many times Haseul flirted with her, it never stopped making her heart feel like it was about to burst.

 

_Haseul_ _: any special occasion for tonight?_

 

_Me: no, just felt like not giving a shit for a while_

 

          If Jungeun were being honest, she was feeling really stressed about work recently. She had been assigned office duty until her ankle gets better and it was making her go insane, having to stay with Min-Jun all day and watch the others come and go at their leisure. It sucked having a 9-5 desk job after being free to drive as far as the routes could take her. Jiwoo always asked how she was doing and always packed an extra treat in her lunch to leave at Jungeun’s desk in the morning. They were starting to become close friends, though they didn’t talk nearly as much as Jungeun did with Haseul.

 

_Haseul_ _: anything you want to talk about?_

 

_Me: maybe later_

 

_Me: i’m going to play a drinking game to Harry Potter_

 

_Haseul_ _: ooooooh what are the rules?_

 

_Me: drink every time someone says “Harry Potter” or “wand,” and every time Voldemort is mentioned_

 

_Haseul_ _: HEY_

 

_Me: sorry he-who-must-not-be-named_

 

_Haseul_ _: thank you_

 

_Me: drink twice whenever ron and hermione have a moment or when harry’s scar hurts_

 

_Me: and finish the drink whenever an unforgivable curse is used or a known character dies_

 

_Haseul_ _: well_

 

_Haseul_ _: it was nice knowing ya_

 

          Jungeun snorted at that text, pleased with Haseul’s reaction. Jungeun wanted to get drunk enough to forget everything that ever made her sad or angry in her life. She wanted to get to that sweet spot where you feel numb and a little woozy, but you can still remember everything in the morning. This drinking game she found online should be the perfect way to get there.

          About three-quarters of the way into the movie, when they have to play life-size chess and Ron sacrifices himself for his friends, Jungeun takes a gulp of her rum and coke and swipes at her phone on the table in front of her.

 

_Me: hey_

 

_Haseul_ _: how you feelin?_

 

            Jungeun snaps a quick selfie, holding up her half-empty glass to her cheek. She checks it briefly, looking at her own squinty eyes and goofy grin, and sends it. 

 

_Haseul_ _: that good huh?_

 

_Me: mmhmmmm_

 

_Me: hey_

 

_Haseul_ _: hey_

 

_Me: ur qt_

 

_Haseul:_ _you think so?_

 

_Me: oh duck yeah_

 

_Haseul_ _: well thank you :)_

 

_Haseul_ _: you’re really cute too_

 

            Jungeun felt her heart flutter, even with the overall warmth throughout her body. She wanted to hear Haseul’s voice, and she wasn’t going to let herself wait any longer to find it. She quickly tapped her contact and called. The phone rang a few times, the sound making Jungeun’s head pulse with every ring.

_“Hello?”_

            Jungeun took a deep breath, trying to make sure she would sound as sober as possible.

            “Hi,” Jungeun managed to breathe out.

            Smooth.

            Haseul giggled on the other end and Jungeun could swear it was bells ringing from heaven’s gates.

            _“You’ve never called me before.”_

“No, but I’ve—” Jungeun hiccuped. “Really wanted to for a while.”

            _“Really?”_

Haseul sounded genuinely surprised. Jungeun nodded as if Haseul could see her.

            “I think you’re really cool and, uh,” Jungeun suddenly felt embarrassed, but she swallowed the fear down. “I really want to go on that date with you.”

            The line was silent for a while, probably only a few seconds, but to Jungeun it felt like hours. As she was about to try and retract what she said, Haseul spoke up.

            _“I’ve been so nervous to bring it up,”_ she whispered. _“It was so easy to ask you in person, but… I don’t know, the more I’ve gotten to know you, the more nervous I’ve gotten.”_

Jungeun let out a huge sigh of relief. She chuckled and took another gulp of her drink before speaking again.

            “I feel the exact same way,” Jungeun slurred. “You’re so nice and fun to talk to and… hot.”

            Haseul laughed aloud, the sound making Jungeun close her eyes and smile widely to herself.

            _“I don’t think anyone’s ever called me hot to my face before.”_

“Well, best believe it, baby. You are HOT,” Jungeun emphasized the “t” and made a sizzling sound after, prompting another melodic laugh from Haseul.

            _“Thank you, but you’re the hot one here, Jungeun.”_

Jungeun scoffed loudly and waved her hand in the air.

            “No ma’am, this is not up for debate.”

            Haseul chuckled and sighed in defeat.

            _“Okay, okay, whatever you say.”_

Jungeun fist pumped in triumph as she sunk the last of her drink and flopped back on the couch. She put the glass on the table and closed her eyes, listening for Haseul’s voice. She needed to hear more of it.

            “Will you sing me something?”

            _“Sing you something? I don’t sing.”_

“Yes, you do. Everyone sings. Please?”

            _“What do you want me to sing?”_

“Anything, I just want to hear your voice. I can’t get enough of it.”

            Haseul sighed again, but it didn’t sound exasperated or upset. She sounded far away, like she had put the phone down and muffled the microphone.

            _“Whydoyouhavetobesocute—OKAY.”_

Haseul returned to normal volume at the last word, and Jungeun felt her lips turn up into a smirk. Haseul took a deep breath and started to sing a song that Jungeun didn’t recognize. It was slow and quiet, but the melody was beautiful and exciting. Haseul’s voice was like velvet, and Jungeun knew it had to be even better live. She made a note to ask Haseul to sing to her in person someday. As she went on, Haseul seemed to become more and more confident, singing a bit louder and with more feeling than when she started. Jungeun nodded along to the song, taking in every note and breath that she could hear. She felt herself drifting in and out of consciousness and fought to stay awake so that she could hear more of Haseul’s enchanting voice, but no matter how hard she tried she eventually checked out from the world completely.

            Jungeun woke up when a beam of sunlight leaking in from the windows was hitting her directly in the eye. She squinted as she sat up on the couch and felt her phone drop from her chest into her lap. She gasped as she realized she had fallen asleep on Haseul and checked her phone for messages. There was one from Haseul, sent 6 hours ago, around the time she must have fallen asleep.

 

            _Haseul_ _: Sweet dreams, cutie <3_

 

Jungeun stared at the message for at least 2 minutes before locking her phone and falling back onto the couch only to shoot back up when the sun beam hit her in the eye again. She groaned as she picked up the glass on the table and saw the ring it left behind. She shook her head at herself, feeling foolish for not thinking about it. Now her roommate was going to be pissed about it unless she found a way to get it off. Thankfully, roomie wouldn’t be back for a couple more weeks. Jungeun put the glass in the sink to deal with later and dragged her feet as she walked to her room and flopped onto her bed. She fell asleep almost instantly for another 2 hours before waking herself up with a particularly loud snore. She reached for her phone and was surprised to find another text from Haseul, 30 minutes ago.

 

            _Haseul:_ _Hope you’re feeling okay! Let me know if you need anything :)_

 

Jungeun grinned and buried her face in her pillow to hide away the blush forming on her cheeks. She remembered all the things she said last night that she had been too afraid to say otherwise and, more importantly, all the things Haseul said in return. Jungeun raised her head to rest her chin on her pillow and pulled her phone up in front of it. She opened the keyboard to type a reply to Haseul, but she was stuck. She wanted to say something clever, but not stupid. She wanted to mention last night, but wasn’t sure if she should right away. She wanted Haseul to come over and help her feel better, but they definitely weren’t there yet. She decided to just go the easy route.

 

            _Me: hey sorry I fell asleep on you :(_

 

_Me: your voice is incredible btw_

 

_Haseul:_ _good morning!_

 

_Haseul_ _: that’s okay, you sounded cute ;)_

 

Jungeun sucked in a breath and held it, afraid that Haseul might have heard her snoring. Her literal worst nightmare is for Haseul to know that she snores like a bear. It kept Jungeun from sleepovers her entire life, and is possibly her worst insecurity because she has no control over it.

 

            _Me: please tell me i didn’t snore_

 

_Haseul_ _: oh no i just heard you breathing deeply and could tell you were asleep_

 

Jungeun blew out the breath she had been holding and slumped her head onto the pillow for a moment before she remembered a moment from last night she wanted to bring up.

 

            _Me: so last night_

 

_Haseul_ _: last night_

 

_Me: we talked about going on our date but we didn’t actually set… a date_

 

_Haseul_ _: lol i figured if we did you wouldn’t remember it_

 

_Haseul_ _: do you remember everything from last night?_

 

_Me: i usually remember everything when i’m drinking_

 

_Me: not so good when i’m sober though_

 

_Haseul_ _: interesting_

 

_Haseul_ _:  do you remember calling me hot?_

 

            Jungeun felt the blush returning and, although Haseul wasn’t there to see it, she shrunk into her shirt like a turtle in shame. She did remember calling Haseul hot, she just didn’t want to bring it up again. It was a fleeting moment of bravery that Jungeun could typically only achieve when she was inebriated. She truly thought Haseul was the hottest girl she’d ever met, but she didn’t need _Haseul_ to know that she thought so. Especially not _from her._

 

            _Me: heh_

 

_Me: yeah i sure said that didn’t i_

 

_Haseul_ _: you sure did_

 

_Haseul_ _: but if you remember that, you remember i also said you were hot_

 

Jungeun had actually forgotten about that part. Not that she couldn’t remember it happening, but she forgot that it had happened at all in the wake of her embarrassment. That little detail was making her feel better, but it was also making her heart do those flips again.

 

            _Me: i do seem to recall you trying to disagree with me, yes_

 

_Haseul_ _:  i still disagree_

 

_Haseul_ _: you’re the hot one out of the two of us_

 

_Haseul_ _: i just let you win the battle ;)_

 

Haseul needed to stop winking before Jungeun went mad.

 

            _Me: let’s figure out this date so i can glare at you in person_

 

_Haseul_ _: haha okay_

 

_Haseul_ _: i’m free pretty much every evening, and i have wednesdays and thursdays off_

 

_Me: cool i have thursdays and fridays off_

 

Jungeun checked the calendar on her phone and realized it was Friday, so she would probably have to wait until at least the next day to see her.

 

            _Haseul_ _: what are you doing the rest of today?_

 

_Me: probably absolutely nothing. why?_

 

_Haseul_ _: wanna go bowling?_

 

_Me: but… it’s friday_

 

_Me: don’t you work?_

 

_Haseul_ _: i can play hooky for you_

 

Jungeun’s entire body froze in place. She stared at the message, so plainly written and completely serious.

 

            _Me: you’d skip work just to hang out with me?_

 

_Haseul_ _: i’d do a lot of things just to hang out with you tbh_

 

Jungeun’s eyes widened and the fear that rushed through her veins made it nearly impossible to breathe properly. Haseul was being so forward and aggressive about hanging out, Jungeun didn’t know what to think of it. She saw the typing bubbles pop up and immediately sent a reply before Haseul could think better of what she said.

            _Me: i’m down_

_Haseul_ _: great :)_

 

_Haseul_ _: i’ll come pick you up in an hour?_

 

_Me: sounds great!_

 

Jungeun squealed with her mouth closed as she closed that chat to open another with Jiwoo and frantically type out an incoherent message about her feelings and begging for any words of advice to help her through this very stressful time in her life. Jiwoo responded almost immediately demanding details about what happened. Jungeun started to type everything out, but in the middle of the novel she was interrupted by a call from Jiwoo herself.

            “Hell—”

            “WHAT HAPPENED TELL ME EVERYTHING I WANT EVERY SINGLE JUICY DETAIL FROM THE BEGINNING,” Jiwoo yelled before Jungeun could finish her greeting. “YOU’VE BEEN STARVING ME FROM THIS WHOLE ORDEAL SINCE YOU LEFT THE HOSPITAL AND I NEED A 6 PAGE ANALYSIS RIGHT NOW MISS JUNGEUN.”

            Jungeun couldn’t help but laugh at Jiwoo’s frantic demands, but she obliged. She told Jiwoo about all the time they’ve spent texting each other about the most random things, the selfies they’ve sent, the memes they’ve made of each other, and finally about last night. Jungeun told Jiwoo about calling Haseul hot, Haseul calling her hot, Haseul essentially singing her to sleep—

            “Wait, she WHAT?!” Jiwoo screamed.

            Jungeun pulled the phone away from her ear and winced at Jiwoo’s booming voice.

            “I asked her to sing for me and she did, and it was so lovely and so soothing that I just fell asleep,” Jungeun said once she pulled the phone back.

            The line was silent except for the faint sound of the truck whirring in the background. Jiwoo had called from work and was currently en route to her next house, which allowed her to call Jungeun using her Bluetooth earpiece she thought made her look like a spy. Jiwoo had explained this to Jungeun so many times that Jungeun couldn’t even think of the device without also including that little detail. After a few moments, Jiwoo returned to the conversation.

            “That. Is. So. Fucking. Cute,” Jiwoo said, over-enunciating each word.

            Jungeun laughed and felt a buzz from her phone. She checked it and found a text from Haseul:

 

            _Haseul_ _: On my way!_

 

Fuck.

            Jungeun checked the time and found she had 20 minutes to get dressed before the time Haseul said she’d be here.

            “JIWOO I HAVE TO GET DRESSED I HAVE TO GO GOODBYE,” Jungeun shouted into the phone.

            “OH, OKAY BY—” Jiwoo was cut off my Jungeun ending the call and throwing her phone across the bed.

            Jungeun launched herself off of the bed, careful not to put too much pressure on her bad leg, and threw open her closet door. She quickly sifted through the shirts on the rack before settling on a red and black plaid flannel. She found a black t shirt and black jeans to go with it, a simple but classic look for Jungeun. She hobbled into the bathroom and yelped when she saw her reflection. Her hair was in knots and spiking all over the place as a result of sleeping on the couch last night. She attempted to tame it, combing the knots out of her hair and spritzing it with water and leave-in conditioner to keep it smooth. Eventually, she managed to make it look presentable and was about to start putting on make-up when Haseul texted her that she was outside. Jungeun groaned aloud and decided to skip the make-up and just put on her shoes… er, shoe, and head out. Jungeun figured if Haseul was going to go on dates with her, she might as well see what she’s getting herself into.

            Jungeun made her way outside and saw the now familiar convertible in the parking lot of her apartment complex, purring quietly as it waited to be of service. Jungeun looked through the front window and saw Haseul engrossed with something on her phone. Jungeun quickly and quietly made her way to the passenger side, but Haseul still didn’t look up. Jungeun leaned down to peer directly into the car and waited there to see if Haseul would notice her. Before long, Haseul glanced up at the passenger side window and flinched, throwing her phone into the backseat in the process. Jungeun burst into laughter, clapping as she did, at the look on Haseul’s face when she realized who she was. Jungeun pulled the door open and carefully stepped inside, residual giggles still emerging every so often.

            “Hi,” Jungeun said cheerfully.

            Haseul rolled her eyes but quickly adjusted to a wide smile.

            “Hi,” she said with a laugh.

            She looked Jungeun up and down, scanning her outfit.

            “You look _nice_ ,” she said.

            Jungeun hadn’t taken her eyes away from Haseul’s face long enough to see her outfit, yet. Haseul was wearing a sleeveless flowy yellow top and dark wash jeans, looking as flawless as ever.

            “You look…”

Jungeun wanted to say, “like a snack,” but thought better of it.

            “So much better than I do. Wow.”

            Jungeun was fully checking Haseul out and didn’t care if she saw. Haseul was someone who demanded attention without even trying and Jungeun was prepared to give it to her.

            “Alright, ready to go?” Haseul finally asked.

            “Ready,” Jungeun replied as she buckled herself in.

            The drive to the bowling alley was mostly silent, Jungeun unsure of what to talk about now that she was with Haseul in person. There were so many things she wanted to say, but she didn’t know how to or didn’t think it was the right time.

            “So,” Haseul said after a while. “Do you not get hangovers? You seem totally fine right now.”

            “No, not really,” Jungeun replied. “It depends on what I drink and how much, but I’ve learned my limits and how to avoid getting them now. Perks of being a lightweight, I guess.”

            “Definitely. My hangovers are killer. The only thing that can help is coffee.”

            “You seemed okay when I first met you,” Jungeun turned to Haseul now.

            Haseul smirked but stayed focused on the road.

            “I was just trying to save face in front of a cute delivery girl.”

            Jungeun was happy Haseul wasn’t looking at her now, because all she would find was a puddle of goo that used to be Jungeun’s body. She wondered how long Haseul was going to make her feel this way, and if Haseul had an ounce of an idea the impact she had on her.

They arrived at the bowling alley and Haseul made Jungeun stay seated while she ran to the passenger side to open the door for her and offer a hand for support. Jungeun took it as she carefully stepped out of the car and Haseul pushed the door closed behind her. As she was about to let go, Haseul slyly maneuvered their hands so that their fingers laced together. Jungeun looked down at their hands and then up at Haseul, who shot her a wink just before turning and leading the way to the building.

            Once inside, the first thing Jungeun noticed was how empty the place was. There was a single older couple bowling at the very end of the alley, and one employee behind each of two counters. The first counter was for shoe rentals and lane assignments. Haseul stepped up to that counter and ordered shoes for the both of them. Haseul must have remembered Jungeun’s shoe size from a particular story she told her about confusing kids’ sizes for adult sizes when she wanted a pair of light-up shoes. Jungeun had to refrain from clasping her hands and holding them by her face in cartoonish awe. They were given a lane and a brief intro on how to use the monitors and how to determine which ball size to use, but most of it was lost on Jungeun who was now watching the older couple bowl strikes one after another. They had specially colored balls and their own custom pairs of bowling shoes, and Jungeun was enthralled by their skills. Haseul had to physically pull Jungeun away so that they could go to their own lane.

            Haseul led them to a table and immediately started to take off her shoes. It wasn’t until this moment that Jungeun realized she could only wear one of the shoes because of her boot. She stared between the bowling shoes and her feet for several seconds before Haseul noticed.

            “You okay?” Haseul asked, following Jungeun’s gaze to her feet. “Oh.”

            “I’m not sure how this is going to work,” Jungeun said as she held up the bowling shoes.

            Haseul finished tying her second shoe and patted the seat next to her. Jungeun sat down and placed her shoes on the floor. Haseul looked around the alley for a moment before spotting something and putting a finger up toward Jungeun.

            “I have an idea,” she said as she stood up. “You put your one shoe on.”

            Jungeun quirked an eyebrow at Haseul as she walked away, but got to work switching her sneaker out for the bowling shoe. When Haseul eventually returned, she had a proud look on her face.

            “What?” Jungeun asked.

            “They have bumpers available at this alley,” Haseul said as she picked up her bowling ball. “We can put them up if you feel like you’ll need them, okay?”

            Jungeun nodded, but she hoped she wouldn’t need them. Bumpers were for babies. Haseul managed a spare on her turn, pumping her first in the air as the second roll knocked over the last couple pins. She spun around on her heel to face Jungeun, who was looking on with admiration and golf clapping. Haseul bowed and hugged Jungeun briefly before sitting down at the table.

            Jungeun stood up and grabbed her bowling ball before lining herself up about 6 feet away from the lane. She hobbled forward and clumsily rolled the ball onto the lane, but it landed awkwardly and landed in the gutter. She turned around and pouted, not bothering to watch it roll the rest of the way. Haseul immediately stood up to envelop her in a hug and rub her back.

            “Awww,” Haseul said with a laugh. “You have one more roll! Do you want me to put the bumpers up for you?”

            Jungeun nodded against Haseul’s shoulder, sniffling although no tears were really being produced. Haseul pulled away and clicked a few buttons on the computer, prompting black bumpers to slowly rise from the sides of their lane. Jungeun picked up her ball as soon as it returned and lined herself up again. This time, the ball bounced off the bumpers a few times before knocking over half the pins. Jungeun raised both arms in triumph and turned to Haseul, who had her arms wide open for another hug. This time they lingered in each other’s arms longer than before, Haseul’s hand trailing down Jungeun’s back before resting just above her waist and slightly pulling her in closer. Jungeun closed her eyes and tightened her grip around Haseul’s neck briefly before pulling away. She knew that if she didn’t stop now, she could just remain in Haseul’s arms forever.

            They went on for 2 more games, chatting in between about their jobs and their families. Jungeun learned that Haseul works for a game developing company, as the executive assistant to the CEO, which explained how she could afford to spend her money so freely. Haseul had one younger sibling, and a huge family on her mother’s side. She told her every one of her 15 cousins’ names, described every pet she ever had (2 cats, 3 dogs, 1 pig, and 1 turtle), and even explained her family’s tradition of burning their Christmas trees because of an article they read in a newspaper several years ago. Jungeun took all of the new information in with eager ears, enjoying watching Haseul’s face light up when she talked about her family and wave her arms for emphasis as she talked. Jungeun could feel herself falling hard and fast for Haseul, and while normally she would be running away in a panic from this kind of situation, this time she didn’t want to. Haseul was different.

            “I’m kind of pooped,” Haseul said as she sat down after her last roll of the game. “Wanna go grab some food?”

            “Sure,” Jungeun said with a smile. “Where should we go?”

            “I have a place in mind. Can I surprise you?”

            Jungeun nodded as she started to switch out her shoe. She knew that wherever Haseul took her would be perfect as long as it was with her.

            They returned their shoes and bowling balls and made their way back to the car. Once inside, Haseul offered Jungeun the aux cord. Jungeun looked at the cord and then back at Haseul, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

            “Wow, this is a big step,” Jungeun said as she gently took the cord from Haseul.

            “It’s important for me to know what kind of music you like,” Haseul said.

            Jungeun browsed through her music as Haseul pulled out of the parking lot and on to their destination. She settled on playing the Melodrama album by Lorde, to which Haseul nodded her head in approval. As soon as Jungeun put her phone down, Haseul reached over and took her hand, lacing the fingers together on Jungeun’s lap. She kept her gaze on the road ahead, but Jungeun didn’t miss the coy smile across her lips. Jungeun sighed happily and closed her eyes, content with how well the day was going.

            Jungeun felt the car turn off and opened her eyes to find they were parked in front of a Waffle House. Of all the places Haseul could probably afford, she took Jungeun to a Waffle House. Jungeun was ecstatic.

            “I fucking love Waffle House,” Jungeun whispered.

            “I had a feeling you did,” Haseul said with a laugh.

            They stepped out of the car and into the building, quickly finding a booth by the window to sit in. They ordered waffles with hash browns and coffee and ate everything in comfortable silence, stealing glances at each other across the table. When the table was cleared and their bellies were full, Haseul laid her hands out on the table, reaching for Jungeun’s. Jungeun gently placed her hands into Haseul’s and watched as Haseul mindlessly rubbed her thumbs over her own.

            “I had a really good time today,” Haseul said softly.

            “Me too,” Jungeun said with a grin. “The best time in a long time.”

            Haseul grinned back, looking down and focusing on their hands for a moment.

            “Would you like to do this again sometime?”

            “Absolutely,” Jungeun’s grin widened and she could feel her eyes crinkling at the sides.

            Haseul huffed out a breathy laugh, a rosy tint spreading across her cheeks. She stood up, pulling Jungeun up and leading her out to the car. They didn’t say another word the whole drive back to Jungeun’s apartment, but their hands never lost contact. Haseul turned off the car when they arrived and asked to walk Jungeun up to her door.

            “S-sure,” Jungeun said nervously.

            She knew what this meant. She knew Haseul had to be planning to kiss her in front of her door, and she knew that was exactly what she wanted but it didn’t stop her from feeling scared out of her wits about it. She timidly stepped out of the car and led the way up the stairs and toward her door. She fiddled with her keys the entire way, spinning the key ring between her fingers incessantly. When they reached the door and Jungeun spun around, Haseul had a look in her eye Jungeun hadn’t seen before. She looked eager, almost desperate and… nervous?

            “Jungeun,” Haseul said, her eyes darting between Jungeun’s. “I want you to know something.”

            Jungeun gulped and nodded to show she was listening.

            “I really, _really_ like you,” Haseul said, glancing briefly at Jungeun’s lips. “And I want to see how far this goes, if you’re willing to try with me.”

            Jungeun’s heart was racing at a million beats per second. She wanted to pinch herself to be sure she wasn’t dreaming and that Jo Haseul, the most beautiful girl on the planet, just said those words to her.

            “I really like you too, Haseul,” Jungeun said. “I would love to see where this take us.”

             Haseul smiled that smile that makes her eyes disappear, and Jungeun never wanted to go another day without seeing it again. Haseul reached out and took Jungeun’s hands again, inching forward ever so slowly. Like a magnet, Jungeun felt herself gravitate toward Haseul in return, their eyes focused on each other’s lips. Jungeun noticed Haseul’s eyes close, but Jungeun needed to be sure this was real. As soon as she felt Haseul’s breath on her, Jungeun paused. She let the thin air between them linger for a moment, but Haseul seemed to grow impatient and pushed forward to touch her lips to Jungeun’s. Haseul’s lips were soft, but her kisses were firm. They moved in unison, exploring each other’s energies. Haseul let go of Jungeun’s hands and instead wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her closer so that their bodies molded together. Jungeun felt herself being pushed back and soon she was against her front door, her arms instinctively moving to wrap around Haseul’s neck. The intensity of their kisses ebbed and flowed, keeping Jungeun on her toes. Eventually, Haseul pulled away and rested her forehead on Jungeun’s, both of them breathing heavily.

            “If I stay any longer, I’ll ask you to invite me in,” Haseul whispered.

            “Come inside,” Jungeun said a little too eagerly.

            “Not yet,” Haseul said with a breathy laugh. “I don’t want to rush this.”

            She gave Jungeun one last lingering kiss before pulling away, leaving Jungeun with her eyes still closed and her lips still puckered.

            “Text me,” Haseul said with a wink before walking away and back toward her car.

            Jungeun watched her walk away until she was out of sight. She then reluctantly walked into her apartment, shutting the door behind her and flopping face-down onto the couch.

            “Haseul, what are you doing to me?” she whispered to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not in any way an expert on bowling or like, anything, for that matter so if I said something wrong let me know! And as always, let me know what you think overall :)


	4. Basket Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Jungeun’s roommate and a little more of Lipseul smoochin’. Also it gets a little dramatic. It’s important. Enjoy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lipsoul crumbs? Anyone? 
> 
> also lipseul are happy now but... for how long?

“So how are things?” Jiwoo asked as she settled into her side of the booth.

 

     Jungeun quickly finished typing a reply to Haseul (about how _she_ , in fact, was the cutest person in the entire world) and pushed her phone to the end of the table, against the wall and out of her line of sight.

 

     “Things are great,” Jungeun said cheerily.

 

     Jiwoo twisted her mouth to one side and raised an eyebrow at Jungeun.

 

     “That’s all you can say?” she asked. “I woke up, got dressed, and left my house instead of watching classic Muppets episodes in my pajamas for you to tell me ‘things are great’?”

 

     Jungeun laughed and raised her hands in defense. Jiwoo had a point, this was the first time they had seen each other outside of work. She deserved a full report.

 

     “I want _details_ , lady,” Jiwoo said, pointing a finger in Jungeun’s face. “How many dates have you been on? Have you held her hand? Is it soft?”

 

     Jiwoo suddenly widened her eyes and gasped.

 

     “Have you kissed her?”

 

     Jungeun’s smile widened and she felt her ears getting hot at the mention of kissing Haseul. Jiwoo seemed to notice the change in Jungeun’s features, because she let out a tiny squeal and grabbed Jungeun’s hands in excitement.

 

     “Tell me!” Jiwoo shouted as she shook Jungeun’s hands.

 

     “Yes!” Jungeun shouted back. “Yes, we kissed the other night and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since!”

 

     Jiwoo’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as she squeezed Jungeun’s hands in a tight grip. Jungeun relaxed after finally saying it out loud and she went on.

 

     “She walked me to my door after our date and it just sort of happened? It actually got kind of intense and I tried to invite her inside, but she said she wanted to take it slow and part of me was grateful but another part of me was… not.”

 

     Jungeun’s voice lowered to a whisper at the last word and she looked away, thinking for the nth time about that moment and all of the emotions that bubbled inside of her outside of her apartment and even after Haseul had gone. She stayed awake all night, her mind racing with images of Haseul’s eyes and the way her nose crinkled when she laughed. It was that night Jungeun realized just how deep she had fallen into Haseul’s trap, and she had no intention of getting out.

 

     The server arrived with their food and Jungeun and Jiwoo chatted in between bites, mostly consisting of Jiwoo asking dozens of questions and Jungeun barely being able to answer them before the next one was asked. Jungeun managed to steer the conversation away from herself to talk about work and she learned that Jiwoo had been written up for being late again because a dog had jumped into her truck and she didn’t have the heart to kick him out. Jiwoo pushed her food around in shame after admitting to this, but soon perked up when she thought of more questions to ask about Haseul. Jungeun answered them all patiently, knowing Jiwoo wouldn’t let it go otherwise. She didn’t mind, of course, Haseul was already taking up most of her head space anyway.

 

     “So, when are you seeing her again?” Jiwoo said, wiping her mouth with a napkin and placing it over her plate.

 

     “Tomorrow night,” Jungeun said. “She said she had a surprise for me.”

 

     Jiwoo gasped and squealed, covering her mouth with closed fists.

 

     “Do you have any idea what it might be?”

 

     Jungeun shrugged. She knew that she would never be able to predict what Haseul had up her sleeve, but so far, she hadn’t been disappointed.

 

     “I’m so happy I was right,” Jiwoo said with a content sigh. “I told you this would happen! I knew you two would get together!”

 

     Jungeun shook her head again, but she couldn’t help the goofy grin spreading across her face.

 

     “You were right, I admit it,” Jungeun said. “But I think my clumsiness had something to do with it.”

 

     “That may be,” Jiwoo replied. “But _I_ spoke it into existence!”

 

     “So, you’re the one I should blame for this thing?” Jungeun said as she lifted her boot out from under the table.

 

     Jiwoo narrowed her eyes at Jungeun and shoved her shoulder lightly.

 

     “You know what I mean!”

 

     The two of them finished up their food and parted ways. Jungeun opened her phone to find a missed call from Haseul. She called her back as soon as she settled into her car.

 

     “ _Hello?”_

 

     “Hey! You called me?”

 

      _“Oh, I must have butt-dialed you. I’m still at work.”_

 

     “Oh, I’m sorry! I’ll let you go.”

 

      _“No no! I have a minute to talk. Plus, I missed your voice.”_

 

     Jungeun bit her lip as it tried to curve up into a smile and she threw her head back on the headrest.

 

     “I miss your… everything.”

 

     Jungeun squeezed her eyes shut and winced. She definitely meant to keep that one in her head or, at least, not sound so desperate about it. The line was silent for a moment and Jungeun was half expecting Haseul to hang up. Instead, she heard a familiar laugh.

 

      _“I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”_

 

     Jungeun relaxed to hear that. It was still scary to openly flirt with Haseul, but Jungeun was determined to do it more often if it meant hearing her laugh.

 

     “I’m excited to know what the surprise is.”

 

      _“As you should be! I think I’ve really outdone myself this time.”_

 

     “Can I have a hint?”

 

      _“Hmmmmmmm… no.”_

 

     Haseul giggled mischievously and Jungeun pouted, although she knew Haseul wasn’t there to see it. She knew it wouldn’t be that easy, but she had to try.

 

      _“I have to get back to work, my boss is yelling for me. I’ll text you?”_

 

     “Yeah, of course.”

 

      _“Bye, cutie.”_

 

     Jungeun let her phone linger at her ear for a moment after the call dropped. Haseul had never called her a cutie out loud before, and it had triple the effect than it did in their texts.

 

**

     Jungeun opened the door to her apartment and immediately knew she wasn’t alone. The smell of fresh linen and lavender had spread throughout the apartment, which could only mean one thing. Jungeun shut the door and heard a voice behind her as she locked it.

 

     “What did you do to my coffee table?” her roommate asked.

 

     “Hi, Jinsoul, I missed you too,” Jungeun said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

 

     “Hi, what did you do to my coff—wait, what happened to your leg?” Jinsoul asked, suddenly realizing the boot on Jungeun’s foot.

 

     “It’s a long story. I’ll clean the coffee table and tell you all about it.”

 

     “Fine, but you better hope you can get that stain out or I’m making you buy me a new one.”

 

     Jungeun waved her away and opened the cabinet under the sink to find the cleaning supplies. She grabbed what she needed and got to work scrubbing the faint but noticeable ring she had left behind. It took a bit of extra work, but the stain was slowly lifting. As Jungeun was moving on to the furniture polish, Jinsoul emerged from her room and flopped onto the couch.

 

     “How was your trip?” Jungeun asked, glancing up from the table.

 

     “It was really nice,” Jinsoul replied, resting an arm along the back of the couch. “All of the weddings were absolutely beautiful. I always love going to New Zealand for gigs.”

 

     Jungeun nodded along as she spoke. Jinsoul was a wedding photographer, and a damn good one at that. Many people planned their weddings around _her_ schedule and paid for all of her travel expenses on top of the service itself. It was a pretty sweet gig, and Jungeun often wondered why Jinsoul hadn’t moved into a place of her own by now. Jungeun knew she had to make more than enough money to do it.

 

     “Any crazy brides this time?” Jungeun asked.

 

     “Just one, actually.” Jinsoul said. “She very nearly called off her $3 million wedding because she wanted the table linens to be cream, but they were actually eggshell. The ceremony was delayed an hour because she wouldn’t stop hysterically crying and throwing champagne flutes at the walls.”

 

     Jungeun and Jinsoul shared a look of judgment and rolled their eyes at the same time before laughing together. Jungeun finished cleaning with one last wipe-down and moved to sit on the other end of the couch with one leg propped up on the cushion between them.

 

     “So, what’s the story on this thing?” Jinsoul asked, poking the boot lightly.

 

     Jungeun took a deep breath. That was a loaded question.

 

     “I fell off a truck while I was unloading a delivery,” Jungeun said plainly.

 

     “I thought you said this was a long story,” Jinsoul said.

 

     “Well, the story of how I dislocated my ankle and broke my leg in 2 places isn’t long, but the aftermath of it is the long part.”

 

     Jinsoul checked the invisible watch on her wrist.

 

     “I got time,” she said with a grin.

 

     Jungeun chuckled at Jinsoul’s goofiness. They had known each other since freshman year of college where they had Biology together. Jinsoul asked Jungeun for a pencil every single day of the semester until the last day when Jinsoul brought a brand-new pack of them with her phone number written on the back. They flirted for a few days after that, but their relationship blossomed into a close friendship rather than a romantic one. They became roommates the next year and had lived together ever since. Jungeun was never one to get sentimental, but she knew she would always be there for Jinsoul whenever she needed it.

           

     Jungeun dove into her story from the beginning, explaining that she had to go out with Jiwoo, her first interaction with Haseul, driving to the hospital, the annoying doctor, driving back from the hospital, and then she babbled at an increasing speed about her date. By the time she got to The Kiss, Jungeun was turning blue in the face from the lack of oxygen. Jinsoul listened patiently, nodding and smiling casually at all of the little details and side notes from Jungeun. When Jungeun finally finished and was panting for breath, Jinsoul held her palms together and pressed the sides of her fingertips to her lips.

 

     “So, what you’re telling me is,” Jinsoul said, bending her wrists to point her folded hands at Jungeun. “You’re whipped.”

 

     Jungeun grabbed a couch pillow and buried her face in it.

 

     “She’s making me feel things and I don’t know how to deal with that,” she groaned into the fabric.

 

     “I know,” Jinsoul said. “Feelings aren’t your forte.”  

 

     Jinsoul patted Jungeun’s leg lightly. When Jungeun looked up, Jinsoul held her arms out and Jungeun crawled to her side, settling into her arms. They only cuddled like this when one of them was really having a rough time, which was rare as neither of them liked to give into their emotions. Jinsoul rested her head on top of Jungeun’s and thumbed small circles on her shoulder. They sat like that for several minutes, Jungeun lost in thought about how much of her life has changed in the last 5 years. Jinsoul had remained the only person to get through to her and make her feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable, but Haseul made her want to reveal all of her deepest thoughts.

 

     “Will you help me find something to wear for tomorrow?” Jungeun asked.

 

     Jinsoul seemed to have dozed off while they were cuddling, because she jumped when Jungeun spoke.

 

     “Sure,” Jinsoul said as she lifted a hand to rub her eyes.

 

     Jungeun wiggled out of Jinsoul’s arms and trotted to her room with Jinsoul trailing behind. Jinsoul sat cross-legged on the bed as Jungeun pulled out a few options and hung them in a line on the closet doors. Once she finished, she stepped aside to allow Jinsoul room for full inspection. Jinsoul regarded each outfit carefully, her eyes lingering on each individual piece. She took decisions like this very seriously, her eye for detail stemming from her career as a photographer. She stood up, making a beeline to a simple black t-shirt and jeans combination.

 

     “This is good,” Jinsoul said. “But not complete.”

 

     Jinsoul glanced at Jungeun’s closet, scanning the items still hanging inside before putting a finger up and dashing out of the room. After a few seconds, she returned with a hunter green coat in her hands. She gently placed it on the hanger around the t-shirt and stepped back to look at it.

 

     “What do you think?” Jinsoul asked, turning to Jungeun.

 

     Jungeun stepped beside Jinsoul and tilted her head at the outfit. It was perfect, to say the least. The coat really added an extra flair to the ensemble without making it flashy, and it was exactly Jungeun’s style.

 

     “It’s perfect,” Jungeun said before nudging Jinsoul with her elbow. “As usual.”

 

     “I know,” Jinsoul said with a smirk. “I just wanted to hear you say it.”

 

     Jinsoul flopped onto Jungeun’s bed and Jungeun followed, opting instead to crawl to the other end and sit with her back against the headboard. Jinsoul rolled over onto her stomach and rested her head on her fists, looking at Jungeun with slight worry.

 

     “So,” Jinsoul said. “Do you think you’re ready for a relationship again?”

 

     Jungeun sighed. She knew this conversation was coming sooner or later.

 

     “I think so?” she said, looking down at her hands. “I really, _really_ like her and I feel like she feels the same. It doesn’t feel anything like before.”

 

     “Have you seen or heard from… her at all?” Jinsoul sounded hesitant to say Jungeun’s ex’s name aloud.

 

     Jungeun shook her head. She hadn’t even thought about her ex since Haseul came into her life.

 

     “Good, that bitch doesn’t deserve your time,” Jinsoul scoffed.

 

     Jungeun huffed out a laugh. Jinsoul was right, but it still stung to think about the way it all ended. She shook the memory from her head and asked Jinsoul to tell her more about her trip. Jinsoul gladly obliged and described all the different venues throughout New Zealand, down to the types of flowers that decorated the tables. Jinsoul pulled out her phone and showed Jungeun some of the personal photos she took until she scrolled to a selfie of her with a pretty girl hanging off her shoulder. Jinsoul quickly scrolled past, but Jungeun immediately lunged for the phone to take a second look. After some pleading and puppy-dog eyes,  she got Jinsoul to divulge her hookups pre- and/or post-wedding. Jinsoul had a knack for seducing some poor soul anywhere she went, sometimes without even trying. Jungeun loved hearing Jinsoul tell those stories, because she was a master of giving just enough information to keep it interesting, but not enough for anyone to guess who the person was even if they knew them. Jinsoul liked to keep private things private, and Jungeun had always admired that.

 

     They spent the rest of the night catching up in Jungeun’s bedroom, talking until their eyes were too heavy to keep open for longer than a few seconds. Jinsoul wrapped Jungeun in a tight hug before walking back to her room, dragging her feet the whole way there.

 

     Jungeun got ready for bed and slipped under the sheets before checking her phone one last time before falling asleep. She found a text that made her heart soar higher than the clouds.

 

      _Sleep well, princess._

 

_***_

 

     Haseul picked up Jungeun on her way home from work and she spent the entire time asking what the surprise was. Jungeun whined and groaned as cutely as she could, but Haseul didn’t budge. She kept her eyes on the road and a smirk on her lips. When they pulled into Haseul’s driveway, Jungeun was as confused as ever.

 

     “I’m just going to change first,” Haseul said as she moved the gear shift to park. “You don’t expect me to take you out in my work outfit, do you?”

 

     “I mean,” Jungeun said, looking Haseul over. “You look good to me.”

 

     Haseul laughed and pecked Jungeun on the cheek.

 

     “Come inside?” Haseul asked.

 

     Jungeun nodded and unbuckled her seatbelt. She let Haseul lead the way inside the now-familiar home. The boxes from Haseul’s drunken purchase were now gone, so Jungeun made herself comfortable on the couch.

 

     “I’ll be right back,” Haseul said as she disappeared into her room.

 

     Jungeun took a brief look around the living room, noticing the crown molding along the ceiling and expensive looking art on the wall next to her. Jungeun suddenly felt out of place and underdressed, closing her coat around her and hugging herself around the waist. Haseul returned in a casual white t-shirt and jeans with blankets in her hands.

 

     “You ready?” she asked brightly.

 

     “Uh, sure,” Jungeun said, arching an eyebrow at the blankets.

 

     “Come on,” Haseul said, nodding her head toward the back of the house. “Just trust me.”

 

     Jungeun stood up and followed Haseul past her room and into a short hallway with a single door on the other end. When they reached the door, Haseul stepped aside and turned to Jungeun.

 

     “Can you open the door for me?” she asked.

 

     Something about the way she was acting and speaking made Jungeun suspicious, but it only made her more curious.

 

     “The surprise is… behind this door?” Jungeun asked.

 

     Haseul simply nodded and gestured toward the doorknob again. Jungeun narrowed her eyes at Haseul, but she reached for the doorknob and twisted it. The door led directly to the backyard, but it wasn’t just your typical backyard. No, this was Haseul’s home after all, it couldn’t just be a _normal backyard_. Behind the door was a lanai with a wide opening opposite the door leading into the yard. The lanai was complete with lounge chairs along the walls and a fridge in the far corner. In the middle of the lanai was a mountain of bean bags, blankets, and pillows, but the real focus of the backyard was past the lanai. In the middle of what could only be described as a small field, stood a tall inflatable screen with a movie selection screen projected onto it. Behind the screen, there was a tall wooden fence lined with illuminated string lights. The sun was halfway through its descent for the day, coloring everything in a soft purple hue. It was like a dream sequence in a movie.

 

     “Surprise!” Haseul said, beaming at Jungeun. “It’s movie night!”

 

     Jungeun felt like she could cry. This was so far from anything she thought would happen tonight. This was so much more than your typical movie night. Haseul skipped to the bean bag mountain and dropped the blankets on top before turning to Jungeun once more.

 

     “Do you like it?” she asked. “Are you excited?”

 

     Jungeun was speechless. Her mouth had fallen open and all she could do was stare at Haseul, baffled by how she could ever be worth all this trouble. Haseul stepped forward to tap Jungeun’s mouth closed and take one of her hands to pull her toward the bean bags.

 

     “Do you want a drink?” Haseul asked, gesturing to the fridge.

 

     Jungeun shook her head, still unable to form words. She could barely see anything from behind the stars in her eyes. Haseul tugged her to the front of the bean bags and sat down, pulling Jungeun down with her and into her lap. Jungeun squeaked when they landed and she found herself in between Haseul’s legs.

 

     “Is this okay?” Haseul whispered into Jungeun’s ear. “I just… want to hold you.”

 

     Jungeun nodded once, and Haseul promptly wrapped her arms around her waist and nuzzled into her neck. The lump in Jungeun’s throat was growing by the second. She had only dreamed of being this close to Haseul, and she was extremely unprepared for it now that it was actually happening. Haseul reached behind the bean bag and pulled out a remote.

 

     “Pick anything you want,” Haseul whispered as she held the remote out.

 

     Jungeun tentatively took the remote and scrolled through the movies, but she could hardly focus on her choices as Haseul was pulling her tighter and pressing lingering kisses into her hair. Jungeun’s eyes adjusted just long enough for her to choose The Breakfast Club, a movie she had seen a couple times but didn’t care much about.

 

     “Oh, I love this movie,” Haseul said.

 

     “M-me too,” Jungeun stuttered.

 

     She cleared her throat and tried to swallow the lump away. She knew she needed to stop going into panic mode whenever Haseul was affectionate, especially when that was exactly what she wanted her to do.

 

     “I hate that Bender and Claire end up together, though,” Haseul said. “He’s such an ass.”

 

     “True, and Claire’s almost as terrible,” Jungeun replied.

 

     “Claire is an angel shut your mouth,” Haseul said, lightly loosening her grip around Jungeun’s waist.

 

     “She’s an arrogant baby,” Jungeun said, turning her upper body to face Haseul. “All she does is whine and act like the entitled brat she is.”

 

     “And Bender’s any better?” Haseul asked. “He’s a misogynistic fuckhead.”

 

     “Bender’s definitely one of the worst characters to ever exist in any movie,” Jungeun said. “Honestly, the only valid person in this movie is Allison.”

 

     “You don’t even like Brian?” Haseul asked in a highly offended tone.

 

     They went on discussing the flaws of the characters for several minutes, ignoring the movie completely. Jungeun eventually grew tired of twisting her body around so she moved to sit with her legs across Haseul’s lap and draped an arm long her shoulders.. Haseul’s hand came to rest on Jungeun’s thigh, and she lightly ran her fingers back and forth across it. A loud bang from the movie pulled their attention away from each other for a moment, and Jungeun was suddenly made aware of how they were sitting. She noted all the parts of her body that were touching Haseul and was surprised to find she had remained perfectly calm while they were talking. She looked at Haseul’s face to find her looking back with a gleam in her eye. Jungeun grinned and leaned in a bit closer.

 

     “Thank you for the surprise,” she said softly.

 

     “Of course,” Haseul said as she squeezed Jungeun’s thigh. “Honestly, this was all an elaborate scheme to get you to cuddle with me.”

 

     “You really didn’t need to go all out for that,” Jungeun said with a laugh. “I would have cuddled with you in the back of your car if you asked me to.”

 

     Haseul smirked and it gave Jungeun a thought.

 

     “Actually, there are a lot of things I’d do with you in the back of your car if you asked.” Jungeun said at barely a whisper.

 

     Haseul’s smirk grew into a sly smile and Jungeun could see her pupils dilating, making them appear darker. Before long, their lips found each other and didn’t have any intention of leaving. Jungeun had decided to thank Haseul in the best way she knew how. She leaned forward and swiftly swung one leg over Haseul’s lap to straddle her. She arched her back when she felt Haseul’s hands creep up her sides. She couldn’t get close enough to Haseul. She couldn’t kiss her enough. She couldn’t tug at her hair hard enough. Jungeun replayed the moment Haseul told her she didn’t want to rush things in her head over and over again, but it was difficult to keep her cool when Haseul was responding so well to all of her touches. Haseul’s hands roamed up and down Jungeun’s back and into her hair, and the soft moans and breaths she made were downright sinful.

 

     Just as Jungeun was about to lose complete control, Haseul pulled away slightly and started trailing kisses down her jaw and onto her neck. Jungeun was paralyzed by the feeling of soft, warm lips on her skin. Haseul continued to move further down Jungeun’s neck until she reached the collar of her shirt. Jungeun felt her collar being pulled down and to the left, toward her heart. Haseul pulled until there was just enough room for her to attach her lips to the skin there. Jungeun felt a slight pain as Haseul took the skin between her teeth only to lick and suck the pain away. It was a vicious cycle, and Jungeun couldn’t get enough of it. When Haseul finally pulled away, Jungeun looked down to find a perfect circle of red. Haseul was marveling at her mark, gently running a finger over it and smiling to herself.

 

     “You’re so hot,” Jungeun whispered.

 

     Haseul looked up at Jungeun and smiled wider. A deep blush spread across her cheeks, much to Jungeun’s surprise. _Now_ she’s embarrassed?

 

     “The movie’s over,” Haseul said, pointing at the screen.

 

     Jungeun tuned in to the sound of _Don’t You (Forget About Me)_ softly playing behind her. She found the remote and carefully adjusted to move off of Haseul’s lap and sit beside her instead. She held the remote out to her.

 

     “You wanna pick this time?” Jungeun asked.

           

     “Sure,” Haseul said as she took the remote. “But I’m picking something to serve only as background noise.”

 

     Haseul quickly winked at Jungeun as she scrolled through the movies. Jungeun smirked and leaned over, intending to kiss Haseul’s neck, but she kissed a hand instead.

 

     “Ah-ah-ah,” Haseul scolded. “I mean so we can talk.”

 

     Jungeun pouted and furrowed her eyebrows.

 

     “Talk? About what?” Jungeun asked.

 

     “About you,” Haseul said as she selected a nature documentary and turned the volume down.

 

     “What about me?”

 

     “I’ve told you so much about my family, my work, and my life in general and you’ve been a perfect listener, but I don’t really know anything about your past.”

 

     Jungeun felt like a weight had fallen onto her chest. The only person who really knew her life story was Jinsoul.

 

     “My life is really boring and sad, you really don’t want to hear about it,” Jungeun said with a weak laugh.

 

     “I really do,” Haseul said, taking Jungeun’s hand. “I want to know everything about you. You don’t have to tell me anything you’re not comfortable sharing, but I just want to know you better. Tell me what happened to lead to you showing up at my front door.”

 

     Jungeun looked into Haseul’s pleading eyes and sighed. This was extremely out of her comfort zone, but Haseul was hard to resist.

 

     “Where do you want me to start?” Jungeun asked.

 

     “What are your parents like?”

 

     Jungeun had a feeling that would be asked, but she didn’t expect it to be the first question. She looked away, thinking of how to word the answer.

 

     “I couldn’t really give you an accurate description of what my parents are like,” Jungeun said. “They weren’t really present when I was living with them.”

 

     Haseul squeezed Jungeun’s hand and waited patiently for Jungeun to continue.

 

     “My real dad died when I was 2. It’s pretty insane, actually. He was at an ATM trying to get cash out and someone stuck a gun in his face and asked for his money. He tried to fight the guy off, but…” Jungeun trailed off, letting Haseul guess the rest.

 

     “I’m so sorry,” Haseul said. “You don’t have to talk to me about this if you don’t want to. I shouldn’t have pried.”

 

     “No, it’s okay,” Jungeun said. “I want to. I trust you.”

 

     Haseul nodded and tilted her head slightly, worry spread across her face.

 

     “My mom didn’t take it very well,” Jungeun continued. “She could hardly take care of me because she was so sad, so I lived at my grandma’s house for a while. Eventually, when my mom insisted she was well enough to take care of me, she took me back. Everything was fine for a few years. We moved on with our lives and we would always visit Dad at the cemetery on the weekends. It was pretty awesome.”

 

     Jungeun smiled at the memory, but it faltered shortly after.

 

     “One day, she met a guy named Roger. Roger changed everything. My mom started drinking a lot, she took up smoking, she couldn’t keep a job, it was a mess. Roger stayed home all the time. I don’t think he ever had a job while he was living there. I hated living with them. I took every opportunity to stay at school longer or stay at a friend’s house just so that I didn’t have to go home. In middle school, I started taking piano lessons from the music teacher after school so that I had a real excuse. She was really cool, and we got really close. Even in high school I would go back to the middle school to take lessons or just to talk.”

 

     “I didn’t know you played piano,” Haseul said. “That’s really cool.”

 

     “Yeah. I haven’t played in a few years, but I’ve been meaning to pick it back up,” Jungeun said.

 

     She took a moment to think back on the many hours she spent in the music room of her middle school and wondered if her music teacher was still working there. She felt Haseul’s eyes on her and moved on.

 

     “Anyway, I decided when I was 15 that I was going to get out of that house as soon as I could. I started doing odd jobs around town: babysitting, mowing lawns, washing cars, whatever I could find to start saving money for a car. I even started taking online courses on top of my regular schoolwork so that I could graduate as fast as possible. I was able to finish by the time I turned 17. By then, I had only saved enough money to buy a shitty pickup truck, but I didn’t care. As long as it could get me out, it was perfect. I packed up a suitcase and told my mom I was leaving and never coming back, but she was too drunk to understand what I said.”

 

     Jungeun felt tears welling up in her eyes. She hated remembering this part of the story. Haseul took both of Jungeun’s hands and rubbed her thumbs over the back of them.

 

     “I drove until I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. I lived out of my car for months and I just kept driving until I found a job at a bar 4 states away. I started as a busser, but I lied about my age and they eventually let me behind the bar. I got enough money there to rent an apartment, and I even enrolled in college. That’s where I met Jinsoul, my roommate.”

 

     Haseul nodded as Jungeun spoke, her eyes never straying from her face.

 

     “I finished college, and Jinsoul and I moved here. I got the delivery job, and a year later, here I am next to you.”

 

     Jungeun smiled weakly at Haseul, who still looked like a sad kitten.

 

     “That’s my life in a nutshell,” Jungeun said. “I have a lot of other depressing stories to tell if you want to hear them sometime.”

     

     Haseul laughed and a tear escaped the corner of her eye. She wiped it away and looked away from Jungeun for the first time since she started talking. It broke Jungeun’s heart to see Haseul cry, and it was even worse that she had been the cause of it.

 

     “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry,” Jungeun said, gently cupping Haseul’s face.

 

     “No, I’m okay,” Haseul said, waving a hand in front of her face. “I just can’t imagine how awful that must have been for you.”

 

     Jungeun shrugged.

 

     “I’m over it now,” she said. “It led me to you, didn’t it?”

 

     Haseul smiled and leaned into Jungeun’s hand to kiss her palm.

 

     “Thank you for sharing all that with me,” Haseul said.

 

     “Thank you for listening,” Jungeun replied.

 

     Jungeun leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on Haseul’s forehead. That weight she felt on her chest had lifted and Jungeun could swear she could fly from how light she felt. Haseul made her feel safe, and she realized that was all she ever wanted.

   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feel free to follow me on twitter and/or let me know what you think!
> 
> twitter: @breadjiin (two i’s!)  
> curiouscat: curiouscat.me/breadjiin


	5. Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They gon fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N. - Hello! This is sort of a chapter between chapters, because it consists ONLY of smut, so if you’re not into that you should probably skip this one. I made sure not to include any important plot points, so you’re not missing anything if you do skip it! I also tried something different and wrote this from Haseul’s perspective. I kind of went with the knowledge of Haseul being a Leo and ran with it so she’s a little intense throughout, but that only happens when she’s horny..... which is most of the time if Jungeun is around....... ANYWAY ENJOY!

Teasing Jungeun quickly became one of Haseul’s favorite things to do. Every wink, every unexpected touch, every lingering kiss sent Jungeun into a panic and Haseul thrived off of it. Watching Jungeun’s ears become scarlet red when she was embarrassed was just about the cutest thing Haseul had ever seen. She wondered how far Jungeun could go before she burst.

Now that’s a thought.

“Everything okay?” Jungeun asked.

Haseul hadn’t realized she zoned out, but ever the master of saving face, she simply turned to Jungeun and winked, waiting for the ears to perk up from behind her hair. Except this time they didn’t. Jungeun only smirked and turned her attention back to her phone. She didn’t even flinch.

They were on their way to dinner at Haseul’s favorite restaurant. Jungeun traded in her flannels and jeans for a shimmering gold tube dress and heels for the occasion. She even styled her hair in such a way that it showcased her many ear piercings but still fell softly over her shoulders. In short, she looked absolutely delicious. Haseul had planned several sneaky and devious ways to make Jungeun squirm, but it seemed some of that just couldn’t wait. Keeping her eyes on the road, Haseul reached a hand over and onto Jungeun’s left thigh.

No reaction. Not even a twitch in her muscle.

Haseul squeezed lightly and ran her hand down the length of Jungeun’s thigh, down toward the knee and then back. Every time she moved her hand back toward Jungeun’s stomach, she ventured a little further. When Jungeun still didn’t react, Haseul moved her hand toward the inside of her legs, inches away from her core. Haseul peeked out of the corner of her eye at Jungeun and was pleased to find she was gripping her phone with white knuckles. Jungeun was turning blue in the face from holding her breath, staring at Haseul’s hand in between her legs. Haseul felt a wave of heat run over her. This is where she wanted Jungeun at all times. Haseul pulled her hand away once they were nearing their destination, if only to allow Jungeun to catch her breath. She was going to need it.

“Miss Jo, lovely to see you,” the hostess said as they walked through the door. “Would you like your usual table?”

“That would be perfect, thank you,” Haseul replied with a smile.

Haseul towed Jungeun through a crowded and dimly-lit dining room to the very back corner where a small, private booth waited for them. Jungeun slid into one side of the booth and Haseul slid in next to her, much to her confusion. Haseul took the menus from the hostess and nodded in thanks. She turned toward Jungeun, who was scrutinizing her closely, and opened one of the menus between them.

“You can have whatever you want,” Haseul said in a low voice. “But I recommend the lobster. It’s heavenly.”

Haseul watched as Jungeun pored over the menu, her eyebrows pinching closer together the more she read.

“There’s no prices on any of this,” Jungeun said.

“Don’t worry about that, princess,” Haseul said as she crept a hand back to her rightful place on Jungeun’s thigh. “I’ll take care of you.”

Haseul heard Jungeun take in a sharp breath at the touch. Jungeun seemed to understand now why Haseul chose to sit on this side of the booth. This time, there was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

“Miss Jo, welcome back,” a tall, slender man said as he approached the table. “What would you like to drink tonight?”

“Bring us a bottle of champagne,” Haseul said. “You know the one I like.”

The waiter nodded knowingly and disappeared as quickly as he came. Haseul turned her attention back to Jungeun, who was still regarding the menu. Haseul could just see the shallow rise of Jungeun’s chest behind a thin curtain of hair. Haseul carefully moved the hair to the far side, exposing Jungeun’s neck and effectively seeing tiny hairs raise in the back.

“See anything you like?” Haseul asked just before beginning to trail light, soft kisses down Jungeun’s jawline.

Jungeun opened her mouth to speak but all that came out was a soft, breathy moan. Haseul smiled as she continued her descent toward Jungeun’s neck until she was interrupted by the waiter once more. Jungeun cleared her throat and fidgeted in her seat when he arrived with the champagne bottle in hand. Haseul smiled pleasantly at him as he poured a small amount into a glass to taste. Haseul made a show of swirling the liquid a bit in the glass, inhaling its scent, and finally swishing it in her mouth before tilting her head back to swallow it slowly.

“Perfect,” she said. “As usual.”

The waiter nodded and got to work pouring out 2 glasses. Meanwhile, Haseul pulled the hand on Jungeun’s thigh out and around to wrap around her waist instead. She rested it low on Jungeun’s hip, spreading her fingers to feel as much of her as possible.

“May I take your order now, Miss Jo?” the waiter asked as he shoved the champagne bottle into a bucket of ice.

“Yes,” Haseul said. “We’ll have the lobster, please.”

“Very good,” the waiter said with another nod as he walked away.

Haseul faced Jungeun, who was looking rather pale, and smiled pleasantly.

“Try the champagne,” she said, nodding toward Jungeun’s glass. “It’s incredible.”

Jungeun swallowed hard, her eyes searching Haseul’s for a moment before she raised her glass to her lips. Haseul tipped it back slightly before she could take a sip.

“Wait,” Haseul said before she picked up her own glass and held it up to Jungeun. “To tonight, and to every night with you. May there be many, many more.”

Haseul clinked her glass against Jungeun’s and took a sip, her eyes never straying from her face. Jungeun took a sip, and then another, and then she finished the glass in one gulp and nearly slammed the flute down on the table. Haseul smirked into her glass before taking another sip and gently returning it to the table. This will be fun.

Haseul reached her now unoccupied hand under the table to pull Jungeun’s legs on top of her own. She spread her legs wide enough that Jungeun’s were now trapped between them. Jungeun gasped at the sudden repositioning, but stopped breathing altogether when Haseul leaned forward so that their faces were inches apart.

“Can I ask you something, Jungeun?” Haseul whispered.

Jungeun didn’t make a sound or move, but Haseul went on.

“Do you think of me often?” Haseul asked, inching forward as slowly as she could. “When you’re all alone in your bed? Do I keep you up at night?”

Haseul grazed her lips at the corner of Jungeun’s mouth, gliding along her cheekbone, and up to her ear.

“I’m not ashamed to admit,” she whispered into Jungeun’s ear between feathery kisses. “I often think about all the things we could do together, all the things I could do to you. Would you like to hear about them?”

Jungeun’s breathing had returned now. Haseul could hear small gasps escaping her lips.

“Yes,” Jungeun whispered.

Haseul inched the hand holding Jungeun’s legs up to the hem of her dress.

“On second thought,” Haseul said as she moved her hand under the fabric. “I could just show you.”

Jungeun gripped the tablecloth with one hand while the other scratched at the fabric of the booth beneath her as Haseul’s hand crept further into her dress. Haseul went back to kissing Jungeun’s neck and slid the hand supporting Jungeun’s hips to her ass, squeezing firmly and hungrily. Jungeun squeaked and Haseul knew the waiter must have returned with their food. Haseul groaned quietly into Jungeun’s skin before turning back to the table and the food being placed in front of them. The waiter arched an eyebrow at Haseul as he neatly set the tools down and she scowled back in return. He needed to leave. Now.

“Bon appetit,” he said plainly as he made a small bow and left.

Jungeun seemed both relieved and regretful that the food had arrived. Haseul readjusted Jungeun’s legs to face forward, but she kept a firm hold around her waist as they ate. The rest of the meal was spent making casual conversation with each other between bites, but Haseul needed to finish what she started. Without interruption.

The waiter offered dessert, but Haseul was quick to cut him off and ask for the check instead. The fire inside of her was building by the second, and she needed to act on it as quickly as possible. She threw a handful of bills onto the table when the check arrived and pulled Jungeun by hand, practically sprinting out of the restaurant. As they approached the car, Haseul quickly scanned the area for bystanders, of which there were none. Haseul took Jungeun to the passenger door and, instead of helping her in as she usually did, spun her around and pinned her against the car with both hands on either side of her head. Jungeun’s eyes widened in shock, but there was an undeniable desire in them as she stared back at Haseul. Haseul took a moment to take in all of Jungeun’s impeccable features and felt her lips curl into a mischievous grin.

“Jungeun,” Haseul said in a low voice she knew would affect Jungeun. “I’m not quite ready to take you home yet. You look entirely too fuckable for me to let you out of my sight.”

Jungeun’s eyes returned to their normal size, but the desire within them was growing with every word Haseul said. Haseul pressed her lips to Jungeun’s briefly, but passionately.

“Would you like to spend the night with me?” Haseul asked against her lips.

Jungeun pushed her lips against Haseul’s tenderly, and with a confidence she hadn’t shown before. Jungeun was getting bolder, her hands reaching up to wrap around the back of Haseul’s neck. Haseul let Jungeun take control of the kiss, to show her what she wanted. Their mouths opened slightly and for a moment they hesitated, Haseul waiting patiently for Jungeun to make a move. Jungeun swiped her tongue across Haseul’s bottom lip and took it between her teeth, dragging back until it snapped back into place. Haseul opened her eyes and stared into Jungeun’s, both of them panting for breath.

“Get in,” Haseul said as she reached behind Jungeun and pulled the door open.

The drive back to the house was too long. Haseul nearly pulled over and took Jungeun to the backseat several times, but she knew better. She had to do this right. Haseul barely shifted to park before Jungeun was unbuckling herself and leaping out of the car and toward the house. Haseul laughed to herself and took a bit of extra time stepping out, just to push Jungeun further toward her limit. She approached the front door, where Jungeun was anxiously waiting with her fingers tapping against her thighs. As Haseul fiddled with her keys, she felt a line being traced up the middle of her back. It sent a chill throughout her body and she dropped the keys, caught up in the moment. She cursed at herself and bent down to pick them up, completely aware of the eyes glued to her as she did.

When she finally got the door open and stepped inside, Jungeun pounced before the door could fully shut. Haseul’s face was taken between two hands and she felt the pressure of Jungeun’s desperate lips on her own. Her kisses were hungry, wasting no time slipping her tongue past Haseul’s lips and tangling them together. Haseul could feel a familiar heat rising from within, one that she would normally ignore or push away to keep Jungeun wanting more after every date. Haseul didn’t want that this time. This time, she wanted to let it consume her.

Haseul felt a wave of endorphins run through her body and in one fluid motion, she lifted Jungeun off her feet and against the front door to shut it completely. Jungeun moaned into her mouth and wrapped her legs and arms around Haseul like a koala. Their mouths moved with more intensity now as the tension grew between them. Haseul locked the door with one hand and pushed off the door with the other to start the trek to her bedroom. Jungeun was lighter than anticipated, although Haseul knew the adrenaline was probably a key factor in that. She kicked the door to her bedroom open and gently lowered Jungeun onto the bed inside.

“Don’t move,” Haseul whispered as she pulled Jungeun’s arms and legs from around her body.

Jungeun whined at the loss of contact, but she did as she was told. Haseul went to her closet and stepped onto a low shelf to reach the top of her wardrobe. She quickly found a small key and opened a hidden compartment to reveal a small collection of toys and lingerie. She peeled off the clothes she was wearing and pulled a red strappy bra and garter set out from the collection. She changed into them swiftly and silently, carefully clipping the individual straps.

“Haseul,” Jungeun pleaded from the bedroom. “I miss you.”

“I’ll be right out, baby,” Haseul called back.

Haseul returned to her secret stash and pulled out a small paddle with holes in it. She scanned the rest of her closet and pulled a black scarf from its shelf as well. She briefly checked her appearance in a mirror on the wall, fixing her hair although she knew it would surely be a mess by the end of tonight. She readjusted the straps of the garters a bit and took in the whole look. She looked fucking hot. Jungeun was definitely going to lose her mind.

She swung the closet door open and leaned against its frame, letting the light stream in from behind her. Jungeun had been pacing, one of her hands threaded through her hair.

“Finally, now get the fuck over here and—“ Jungeun’s words were interrupted by a soft gasp.

Haseul watched as Jungeun’s eyes traveled up and down the length of her body. Her hands started to clench into fists and she seemed to be trying to hold herself back from something.

“What do you think?” Haseul asked as she twirled the paddle in her hands.

“I think you better put that paddle to use before I do,” Jungeun said in a challenging tone.

Haseul arched an eyebrow at that. This was a side of Jungeun that shone through more often as of late, when Haseul teased her endlessly just to deny her pleasure. Haseul loved seeing Jungeun this way. She approached Jungeun slowly, maintaining eye contact as she did. She circled Jungeun like a predator surveying its prey, closely watching as the muscles in her back and legs twitched in anticipation. Once she made a full revolution, Haseul took Jungeun’s hands and stepped backwards toward a round, green ottoman in the corner of the room. When she felt her heels touch the fabric, she swiftly bent her knees and tugged Jungeun across her lap. Jungeun opened her mouth to say something, but fell silent as Haseul harshly pushed her dress up and exposed her naked backside.

“You’re not wearing any underwear,” Haseul observed as she ran her hand over the smooth skin. “That’s my girl.”

Haseul unraveled the scarf and pulled Jungeun’s arms back to tie them together. Jungeun grunted at the pull of the last knot, signifying to Haseul that they were definitely tight enough. She returned her attention to Jungeun’s ass, running her fingers lightly across them. She raised her hand and slammed it down on one cheek, earning a satisfying yelp from Jungeun. Haseul leaned down and kissed the skin there, smoothing the hand print over with light touches.

“More,” Jungeun said softly. “Please.”

Haseul smiled to herself and picked up the paddle.

“Anything for you, baby.”

Haseul brought the paddle down onto Jungeun’s delicate and reddening skin over and over, varying in intensity and time between swats. She made sure to care for her, kissing and caressing every so often to soothe the pain. Jungeun’s cries became louder and more pleasurable the more it went on, fueling Haseul’s fire. Eventually, the scent of Jungeun’s arousal filled Haseul’s nostrils and her eyes rolled back into her head involuntarily in response. She needed more.

With one last smack with her hand, Haseul pulled Jungeun up to her feet and lightly pushed her toward the bed. Jungeun staggered back, but caught herself and crawled onto the sheets. She stopped in the center and flipped onto her back, supporting herself with her elbows. She lifted a hand and curled her forefinger, coaxing Haseul to come to her. Haseul heard a low growl escape her throat just before she surged forward and onto the bed.

“Why do you still have this shit on?” Haseul asked as she curled her fingers around the top of Jungeun’s dress and tore it apart right down the middle.

Jungeun protested, shouting something about how she planned to return it, but Haseul couldn’t hear her. Under the dress, Jungeun was stark naked, and Haseul was entranced with her body. Her lips parted as she scanned every inch of Jungeun’s curves until she met dark eyes. Jungeun arched an eyebrow and winked at Haseul, no doubt noticing her awestruck expression.

“This,” Jungeun said as she dragged a hand from her thigh to her collarbone. “Is yours, and only yours.”

Haseul couldn’t help but smile at those words. It felt good to hear her admit what Haseul already knew.

“Stake your claim, Miss Jo,” Jungeun said in a velvety tone.

Haseul didn’t need to be told twice. She immediately went to work on one of Jungeun’s nipples, kissing and sucking the hard bud. She flicked her tongue over and around it, giving it all the attention it deserved. Jungeun slipped a hand through Haseul’s hair and pulled, moaning softly. Haseul, never one to be neglectful, crept a hand to her other breast and pinched the bud there as well. Jungeun’s moans grew louder and longer, her grip on Haseul’s hair tightening. Haseul took the bud lightly between her teeth and pulled until it slipped out and bounced back, prompting a tiny squeal from Jungeun. Haseul moved on to pressing sweet, short kisses across every inch of skin she could find, slowly making her way down to where she had been wanting to be for weeks. When she reached Jungeun’s hips, she lingered on every kiss, sucking and nipping lightly every few stops. She hovered over Jungeun’s core, blowing cold air along it as she skipped over it entirely to focus on her thighs. Jungeun’s breath hitched as Haseul moved and she let out a frustrated groan when she didn’t get what she wanted. Haseul was practicing extreme self-control for the purpose of prolonging the experience as long as she could. Jungeun could be writhing on the floor right now, if Haseul wanted her to, but she wanted to save that for another day. Tonight, she wanted to play with her food.

Haseul peppered kisses and licks all over Jungeun’s thighs, paying special attention to any spots that made her breathing a little heavier. She left two hickeys, one on each leg, as a sweet memory for when she was alone. She vowed to herself to ensure Jungeun always had something to remember her by. The longer Haseul spent worshipping Jungeun’s thighs, the more impatient she became. Haseul felt two hands tangled in her hair, gently pulling in the direction of where she was needed most. Haseul resisted the pull, not satisfied with her work yet.

“Haseul,” Jungeun whined. “Baby, please.”

Haseul stopped completely.

“What did you say, sweetheart?” Haseul asked.

She needed to hear her say it again.

“Please, baby,” Jungeun begged. “I need you.”

How could Haseul resist such politeness?

Now, Haseul wasted no time in delving into Jungeun’s center. She flicked her tongue expertly along the slit, focusing on the hard nub when she reached it. Jungeun’s moans were louder than ever as Haseul teased and probed at her clit. Her tongue worked diligently, as if her life depended on it. Jungeun’s voice started to rise in pitch and her breaths became more shallow, but Haseul wasn’t ready for her to climax yet. She pulled her face away abruptly, looking up through her eyelashes at Jungeun’s expression. Jungeun’s chest was heaving up and down with every breath, her nose scrunched cutely and her eyes squeezed shut. She looked down at Haseul in confusion when she realized she had stopped.

Haseul shot her a quick wink before wrapping her arms under Jungeun’s legs and pulling her to the edge of the bed. She spread Jungueun’s legs wide and wet her lips at the sight before her. Holding the legs open, Haseul swiped her tongue teasingly across Jungeun’s entrance and hummed at the taste. She knew her reward would be sweet if she played her cards right. She slowly dragged two fingers down the length of Jungeun’s sex and slipped one of them just barely inside her. Jungeun arched her back at the touch, her voice catching in her throat. Haseul slowly pushed her finger further in, feeling the walls clench and unclench around her. She pulled it back, sneaking in a second finger as she pushed back in.

“Fuck,” Jungeun gasped.

Haseul quickened her pace to a steady flow, rubbing the nub with her other hand while keeping an elbow on Jungeun’s leg to keep her from closing them. Jungeun cursed over and over again, humming and moaning in between each word, making Haseul feel her own arousal wash over her. Haseul started to move faster, pushing deeper and curling her fingers to hit the sweet spot, making Jungeun practically scream in ecstasy. As Jungeun seemed to be reaching her peak, Haseul removed her hand and replaced it with her mouth. She pulled Jungeun’s legs onto her shoulders and buried her face between her thighs. She closed her eyes, waiting to claim her prize.

“Haseul,” Jungeun whined as her legs squeezed Haseul’s head and her hips bucked uncontrollably.

Haseul’s muffled moans rang through the room as she lapped up every drop of Jungeun’s release. She dug her nails into Jungeun’s thighs to hold her in place as she shuddered beneath her. Haseul peeked up at Jungeun to find her eyes rolled back into her head and her hands tightly gripping the sheets. With a final swipe of her tongue, Haseul released her hold of Jungeun’s legs and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She crawled over Jungeun’s limp body until they were face-to-face. Jungeun had a sheen of sweat across her brow, and her lips were parted as she tried to catch her breath. Haseul smiled wide at her girlfriend, thinking of how fucking lucky she was to have her.

“You okay, princess?” Haseul asked as she carressed Jungeun’s cheek.

Jungeun nodded happily, a small smile flashing across her face. Haseul could swear her heart was going to beat out of her chest. Jungeun made her experience a happiness she never knew existed. Watching her now, as she tried to steady her breathing with that satisfied grin on her face, was the most beautiful Haseul had ever seen her. She quickly leaned down to kiss Jungeun on the nose.

“Where did you learn that?” Jungeun asked.

“It’s a natural talent,” Haseul said with a laugh.

Jungeun smiled wider and propped herself up on her elbows. She pushed Haseul onto her back and straddled her, fiddling with the garter straps. Haseul held her hands from moving any further, gaining a confused and slightly annoyed look from Jungeun.

“Oh no, baby,” Haseul said gently. “You need to rest, you’re exhausted.”

“But—“ Jungeun whined. “But I want to take care of you.”

“Another time, cutie,” Haseul said as she kissed Jungeun’s palm. “For now, you need to go to sleep. Okay?”

Jungeun yawned and nodded with sleepy eyes. Haseul tossed Jungeun’s ruined dress aside and pulled the covers back for them to crawl in. Jungeun was already practically asleep, but she opened her arms for Haseul to fit into them. Haseul quickly slipped out of her bra and tossed it away before settling under the covers. Jungeun’s eyes widened for a moment as Haseul’s breats came into view, but the sleepiness took over before she could react. Haseul settled into Jungeun’s arms, her back pressed up against her. Haseul took one of Jungeun’s hands and gently cupped one of her breasts with it as she adjusted her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. The last thing she felt before she fell asleep was a slight squeeze from Jungeun’s hand and a soft kiss on the back of her neck. This was it. This was what pure bliss felt like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter: @breadjiin   
> curiouscat: breadjiin


	6. Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> welp

     Haseul was incredibly late for work. Jungeun couldn’t let her leave until she met her morning quota of kisses, which meant a lot of shirt tugging and pouts that Haseul was never able to resist. Jungeun knew exactly how to keep her coming back for more and she took every opportunity to use it to her advantage.

     “Baby, I really have to go,” Haseul said between kisses. “I’m super late.”

     “One more,” Jungeun said just before she pulled Haseul in by her shirt for one last long, hard kiss.

     She pulled away, reveling in Haseul’s still-closed eyes and the goofy smile spread across her face. Haseul blinked her eyes open and sighed, looking at Jungeun with so much love and adoration, Jungeun could feel her pupils morphing into hearts. Haseul stepped away, dragging her hand along Jungeun’s arm until they were only holding fingertips.

     “I’ll text you,” Haseul said as she let go.

     Jungeun nodded and wiggled her fingers at her girlfriend as she stepped out of the apartment. Jungeun locked the door and spun around to lean against it, clutching at her heart with both hands. She was so in lov—like with Haseul, it was almost comical.

     “Is she gone?” Jinsoul asked as she came around the corner from her room. “Are you two done being gross now?”

     Jungeun rolled her eyes, but the smile never left her face. She giggled as she pranced to the couch and draped herself across the length of it. Jinsoul followed her to the couch and stood at the end, crossing her arms and arching an eyebrow at Jungeun.

     “You’ve got it so bad, dude,” Jinsoul said. “I’ve never seen you so giddy.”

     “That’s what happens when you’re dating the most perfect girl in the world, my friend.” Jungeun said as she folded her hands behind her head. “Someday you’ll understand.”

     “Nah,” Jinsoul said, shaking her head. “I don’t think I’m made for love.”

     Jungeun looked at Jinsoul now, her expression turned serious. She didn’t know Jinsoul had even thought about love, much less decided she just wasn’t going to find it.

     “You really think so?” Jungeun asked.

     “Yeah,” Jinsoul said with a shrug. “I just can’t see myself slowing down in my work long enough to make any kind of real connection, and I kind of don’t want to. I’m happy just coming and going whenever and wherever I please.”

     “So, what, you’re just going to hook up with random girls wherever you go for the rest of your life?” Jungeun asked.

     Jinsoul’s eyes widened and her arms folded a little tighter around her torso.

     “Maybe,” Jinsoul said hesitantly. “Is that a problem?”

     “No,” Jungeun said as she realized how rude she was being. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it to come out that way—"

     “Well, what way did you mean?” Jinsoul interrupted.

     “I just think you’re giving up on the idea of a relationship without actually giving it a chance.”

     “What if I don’t want to give it a chance?”

     Jungeun didn’t know what to say to that. Before Haseul, she thought there just wasn’t someone out there for her, that she would be forced to live her entire life on her own. She had never considered not wanting to be in a relationship at all.

     “I’ve never met anyone that made me feel like you do about Haseul,” Jinsoul said. “I’ve met beautiful people and passionate souls, but I’ve never felt a connection deeper than physical attraction. I don’t think it exists for me, so I don’t want to bother trying to find it.”

     Jungeun sat up and nodded, looking at a fixed point on the wall as she processed what Jinsoul was telling her. She felt like an ass for being so ignorant.

     “I’m sorry,” she said finally. “I didn’t mean to snap at you like that.”

     “It’s okay, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it,” Jinsoul replied, her shoulders relaxing a bit. “I should have done it sooner.”

     “Do you think it’s possible there’s someone out there who will change your mind?” Jungeun asked.

     “Maybe,” Jinsoul said with a shrug. “I’m just not going to spend time looking for it.”

     “Fair enough,” Jungeun said.

     They sat in an awkward silence for a moment, unsure of what to do with the tense air in the room. Jungeun reached for the remote and turned the TV on.

     “Wanna watch Spice World?” she asked.

     “Hell fucking yes I do,” Jinsoul replied as she threw herself onto the couch next to Jungeun.

     They decided to spend the entire day being lazy and fat (their two favorite adjectives). They ordered pizza and wings, ate ice cream straight out of the carton, and watched nostalgic movies for hours with impromptu naps throughout. It was truly the perfect day to spend with your best friend. It wasn’t until darkness fell upon the apartment that Jungeun noticed something felt off. She checked her social media for the millionth time and realized she hadn’t spoken to Haseul since before she left that morning. She sent her a quick text to get the conversation going.

      ** _Jungeun:_** _hey :) how’s work?_

     Jungeun stared at the message for a few seconds before locking her phone and setting it aside. Jinsoul nudged her with an elbow and held up a can of whipped cream.

     “Want a shot?” she asked.

     “Do you have to ask?” Jungeun replied as she tilted her head back and opened her mouth.

     Jinsoul squeezed a small mountain of whipped cream into Jungeun’s mouth, despite her moans in protest. Jungeun mustered the best side-eye she could manage before attempting to swallow the whipped cream little by little without getting it all over her face completely. Eventually it tipped over and fell onto her nose and eyes, prompting a snort from Jinsoul. Jungeun wiped it off of her face and looked at her best friend, who could hardly contain herself at this point and was nearly doubled over in laughter. Jungeun swiped the whipped cream onto Jinsoul’s face, and soon a full-on whipped cream fight broke out in the middle of their living room. Soon the couch and coffee table were covered in foamy white mounds and all that could be heard was the hissing of the can blowing out compressed air.

     “Alright, alright!” Jinsoul said, raising her hands in the air. “The can’s empty!”

     Jungeun stared at the can in her hand and forgot how she managed to steal it in the first place. She noticed the whipped cream on her hand and on her shirt, and when she looked up and saw Jinsoul with it in her hair, she couldn’t help but chuckle. Jinsoul looked at her hands in disgust and then at Jungeun with an amused grin.

     “I’m gonna go shower now,” Jinsoul said as she picked up her phone. “I’ll probably turn in for the night, too. Let’s not do this again, I feel disgusting.”

     “Agreed,” Jungeun said with a laugh. “But you’re not even going to help me clean this up?”

     “I didn’t start the fight,” Jinsoul replied as she continued to walk away. “This was your doing. Good night!”

     Jungeun rolled her eyes as Jinsoul disappeared behind the door of her room. She wiped down the couch and floor in a weak attempt to get the stickiness out before she left for her own room. She checked her phone once she was inside, but still no word from Haseul.

      ** _Jungeun:_** _are you working late tonight?_

     It wasn’t like her not to at least say she was busy, Jungeun had always been understanding when it came to that. Maybe her phone was dead. She had spent the night, after all. Jungeun smiled at the memory of Haseul in her bed with open arms, beckoning for Jungeun to climb in with her. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other these days, nearly every moment together was spent with interlaced fingers or arms locked around each other’s waists. Jungeun hoped everything was okay. She decided to take a bath to clear her mind.

     As the water filled the tub, Jungeun dug through the cabinet under her sink until she found Epsom salts and her stash of candles. She dumped some of the Epsom salt into the running water, lit the candles, turned off the lights, and settled into the warm water. She used her phone to start a playlist of low-key music to help her relax, checking for a response from Haseul in the process. Still no luck. Jungeun felt the worry start to spread from her chest into her stomach. She submerged herself in the bath until the water was up to her chin, and her kneecaps were barely poking out above the water. She closed her eyes and tried to relax, making an effort to note the warmth of the water on every part of her body. Just as she started to drift off to sleep, she heard her phone buzz and lunged for it, splashing water all over the screen in the process.

      ** _Jinsoul:_** _fdlakfgdkj PLEASE WATCH THIS_

     Jungeun’s heart was pumping at an intense speed but seeing Jinsoul’s name instead of Haseul’s made her more disappointed than she felt she should be. Jinsoul sent a link to a [YouTube compilation of cats that are afraid of cucumbers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agi4geKb8v8). While Jungeun appreciated the 3 minutes of distraction, the dread washed over her just as quickly and possibly worse than before once it was over. She opened her message thread with Haseul once more.

      ** _Jungeun:_** _call me when you can_

     Jungeun knew she must be overreacting, but it was so out of the ordinary for Haseul not to say anything at all she felt it was warranted to be a little worried. It was nearly 10:00 PM now, and Haseul had left at 9:00 AM that morning. Normally, she would have been home for hours by now. Normally, they would be on FaceTime right now, or in each other’s arms. Jungeun put her phone back down and slumped back into the water, staring into space and thinking about all the possibilities of what could have happened.

     She eventually climbed out of the tub and threw on one of Haseul’s shirts she had left behind. It still smelled like her, which was probably not going to help her in her current state, but she didn’t care. She wanted to feel her in some way. It was nearly 11:00 PM now, and still no word from her. Jungeun tried to call, but after several rings she was forwarded to her voicemail.

     “So it’s not _off_ ,” Jungeun said to herself as she tried to piece together a reason for Haseul’s silence.

     Jungeun considered driving to Haseul’s house and checking on her, but she was afraid that would definitely count as overreacting. If she wasn’t answering her phone, she was probably stuck at work doing something. If she was in danger somewhere… no, Jungeun couldn’t think about that. She felt another buzz from her phone.

      ** _Haseul:_** _hey, got tied up at work. can’t talk right now, too tired. gn._

     Jungeun blinked and rubbed at her eyes a few times to make sure she was reading this message correctly. It was so curt, and slightly rude, and definitely not the way Haseul typically speaks via text. It must have been something serious. Jungeun didn’t try to push it.

      ** _Jungeun:_** _oh, okay! good night <3_

     Jungeun sighed as she set her alarms to wake up for work the next day. She was happy to know Haseul was okay, but the worry had remained for different reasons now. She squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to sleep.

**

     Jungeun was awake before her alarm went off. She spent most of the night tossing and turning, waking up every hour just to feel the unnecessary anxiety weighing on her heart. She turned off the alarm just before it was meant to sound and got ready for work. She was happy to finally able to put on regular shoes again, now that her leg was nearly completely healed. That also meant she was able to drive again, making spontaneous trips to Haseul’s house much more frequent. Jungeun shut her eyes again at the thought of Haseul. She was truly in everything she saw.

      ** _Jungeun:_** _good morning! hope you have a good day cutie :)_

     Jungeun arrived at the office earlier than usual, and unfortunately so did Min-jun. Ever since she got hurt, Min-jun had been a thorn in her side. He didn’t like that she was allowed to work despite not being able to do the very task she was hired to do. He didn’t like having to share work for her to have something to do. Luckily for him, this was Jungeun’s last week as the useless secretary.  
  
     “Morning,” Min-jun muttered as Jungeun walked in.

     “Hey,” Jungeun replied as she took her bag off her shoulder and onto the floor next to her seat.

     She went to the breakroom to put on a pot of coffee. Whoever usually made the coffee always made it unbearably strong, so she was happy to be able to brew something she could actually drink. Jungeun watched as the water poured into the pot, inhaling the aroma as it filled the room. The smell reminded her of mornings at Haseul’s house, where she would often borrow one of her many silk robes to prepare breakfast for the two of them. Haseul always made her way out of the bedroom just in time for everything to be served, her eyes still half open and a content grin spread across her face. Jungeun sighed at the thought and poured herself a cup of coffee to take back to the desk.

     Jiwoo walked in shortly after Jungeun had settled into her seat. She made a beeline for Jungeun and beamed at her from where she stood, as she always did in the morning.

     “Hi,” Jiwoo said excitedly.

     “Hi,” Jungeun replied with a smile. “How are you?”

     “I’m just dandy, how are you?”

     “I’m,” Jungeun paused, trying to find the right word but it took too long. “Fine.”

     Jiwoo cocked her head to one side, her eyebrows pinching in concern.

     “Everything okay?” Jiwoo asked.

     “Yeah, everything’s fine,” Jungeun lied.

     She didn’t want to talk about her anxieties out loud. She was afraid that speaking them aloud would only make things worse, and she knew it would just sound like an overreaction. Jiwoo wasn’t buying it, though. She pressed her mouth into a thin line and crossed her arms at Jungeun, looking as intimidating as possible (which really was like an angry baby penguin).

     “You’re trying to hide it from me, but I see right through you, missy,” Jiwoo said, narrowing her eyes at Jungeun.

     “Okay,” Jungeun sighed as she knew it was useless to try to fight it. “It’s Haseul. She didn’t talk to me at all yesterday and then sent me a really weirdly written text at like 11:00 last night just to say she was too tired to talk.”  
  
     Jungeun opened her messages and showed Jiwoo the evidence. Jiwoo read it over and over again, as if she was analyzing every letter. She leaned back, still staring at the phone suspiciously. Her mouth twisted to one side as she scratched her head and looked at Jungeun.

     “It almost sounds like someone else completely,” Jiwoo said.

     Jungeun blinked a few times before reading the message again. She hadn’t thought of that. It did kind of sound like someone else wrote it, but who? And why did they need to text for Haseul anyway? Jungeun’s mind wandered to the worst-case scenario and she felt a familiar lump in her throat start to form, but Min-jun’s booming voice saved her from becoming overwhelmed.

     “Alright, good morning,” Min-jun paused as he waited for the returning groans to die down. “Welcome to work. It looks pretty gloomy outside, so as always be careful in the rain and make sure you’ve got rain gear with you before you leave. And please remember not to turn on your hazard lights if it gets heavy; that’s against the law and I’m not going to let my team embarrass me. Be safe out there.”

     Min-jun passed out the assignments and everyone filed out as they received them. Jiwoo received hers last and looked over it briefly before turning back to Jungeun, who was idly stirring her coffee. She put a hand on Jungeun’s shoulder and squeezed lightly to get her attention.

     “Let me know if you need anything,” Jiwoo said when she looked up. “You know you can call me anytime, even when I’m on the road.”

     Jungeun nodded and flashed a weak smile before returning her attention to her coffee. She appreciated Jiwoo’s concern, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to find the words to describe how she felt. This was always the way she dealt with anxiety – suffer through it and wait until it goes away.

     The rest of the day was spent trying to busy herself with paperwork or organizing the office, anything to keep her mind occupied. Every time Haseul creeped into her mind, she felt a sense of dread tingle from the pit of her stomach. She tried desperately to push the thoughts and feelings away, but by the time lunchtime came around it was unbearable. She hadn’t gotten any reply from Haseul all day, and she needed to do something about it. She dug through their previous messages and found the name of the company she said she worked for: Gemzana. After a quick Google search, she found an address and she knew she needed to act fast.

     “I’m going to lunch,” Jungeun announced as she grabbed her bag.

     “Okay, don’t be late,” Min-jun said without looking up from his paperwork.

     Jungeun rushed out of the room and raced to her car. She navigated to Gemzana on her phone and found it was only 20 minutes away, the perfect amount of time to visit and come back before her lunch hour was up. She just needed to see her. She needed to know that the terrible ideas littering her mind were just over-analyzations of something very simple that she would laugh about later. She tried to breathe normally for the entire drive until she came upon a small, two-story, unmarked gray building. The building number matched the one listed online, and on the front door she could just make out the words “Gemzana Games” in small white letters. Her heart was pounding in her ears, but she managed to calmly step out of the car and walk to the door.

     The inside was just as bland as the outside, not at all what she expected a game developer’s office to look like. There was a receptionist sitting at a desk at the end of the small lobb and the logo from the front door in large black letters on the wall behind her. There was nothing else in the room, save for a set of dark lounge chairs surrounding a small, circular table. Jungeun stepped up to the receptionist, who was typing quickly at a computer.

     “Hello,” Jungeun said. “I’m looking for Jo Haseul?”

     The receptionist didn’t acknowledge Jungeun for several seconds, still typing and focused on the screen in front of her. Jungeun raised her eyebrows slightly and stared at her, unsure if she had heard or even noticed her presence. As soon as Jungeun opened her mouth to try again, the woman put a finger up between them as the other hand continued to type. Jungeun closed her mouth and waited.

     “How may I help you?” the woman asked as she turned her attention to a clipboard laid on the desk.

     “I’m looking for Jo Haseul. Is she in?”

     “One moment, please.”

     The woman pushed a button on a desk phone and then pressed against her ear before she went back to working on the checklist. The woman turned her head as she wrote and Jungeun noticed a small black earpiece with a blinking light. Jungeun drummed her fingers nervously against her thighs.

     “There’s someone here to see Haseul,” the woman said casually. “I dunno, a blonde girl… Okay.”

     She pushed a button on her earpiece again and finally looked up at Jungeun.

     “Take a seat, they’ll be with you in a minute.”

     Jungeun felt her eye twitch slightly, but she turned on her heel and walked to one of the chairs in the corner. They? What does that mean? Before long, a door clicked open from behind the receptionist’s desk and Jungeun felt her heart rise into her throat and promptly fall into her stomach. The person who appeared wasn’t Haseul at all, but a tall, slender woman with high cheekbones, broad shoulders and a bored look on her face. She wore a frilly sleeveless white top and tight black dress pants that hugged her curves as she strode over to Jungeun and held out her hand.

     “You must be Jungeun,” she said. “I’ve heard _so_ much about you.”

     “Hi,” Jungeun said taking her hand and shaking it loosely. “Yeah, that’s me.”

     “You’re here to see Haseul?”

     Jungeun nodded slowly, suspicious of the question.

     “I’m so sorry, but Haseul’s been very busy recently. She’s basically been chained to her desk since yesterday.”

     Jungeun continued to stare up at the woman, one of her eyebrows slowly lifting on its own.

     “She asked me to let you know she’s very sorry and that she would call you later,” the woman added.

     Something about her tone of voice made Jungeun uneasy. She was cheery, but her face remained unfazed. Her eyes were glossed over, her lips slightly pursed into a neutral smile. She seemed like she was hiding something. Like she was hiding Haseul.

     “Is there any way I can speak to her just for a moment?”

     “Like I said, she’s very busy. She doesn’t have the time right now for visitors.”

     “I don’t think she’d mind a brief visit with some words of encouragement from her girlfriend,” Jungeun emphasized the last word with a slight tilt of her head. “Do you?”

     The woman spread her lips into a wide grin that squinted her eyes before speaking again.

     “I’ll be sure to pass the message along to her. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

     “What was your name?” Jungeun said through gritted teeth.

     “Sooyoung,” the woman said with another smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know your thoughts >:)
> 
> twitter: @breadjiin  
> curiouscat: breadjiin


	7. Timing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm... sorry.

 

 

         Jungeun couldn’t remember the drive back to work. She could only remember flashes of red and the white of her knuckles on the steering wheel. She sat at her desk seething over that smug look on Sooyoung’s face when she lied to her face about Haseul.

         “Fucking bitch,” Jungeun muttered under her breath.

         “What was that?” Min-jun asked from the other side of the room.

         “Nothing, just… found a weird name here,” Jungeun said, holding up a piece of paper as if she had been reading it.

         Min-jun grunted and went back to focusing on his own paperwork. Jungeun spent the rest of the day scowling at her desk, replaying those 5 minutes in her head over and over again. Jiwoo came back from her route early, so Jungeun pulled her aside and told her to wait. She walked up to Min-jun’s desk and waited until he looked up to ask,

         “Is it okay with you if I leave a little early today? My cat has an appointment at the vet.”

         “Well,” Min-jun sat back in his chair and folded his hands over his stomach. “If it’s for your cat, I suppose it’s okay. You’re back on trucks after your weekend, right?”

         “Yes, sir.”

         “Good, see you then. Take care of your cat.”

         Jungeun nodded in thanks and bolted to the door, dragging Jiwoo along with her. They walked side-by-side in the hallway and Jiwoo waited until the office door had fully closed to speak up.

         “You didn’t tell me you have a cat!”

         “I don’t.”

         “Oh… but—”

         “Min-jun’s a softie when it comes to animals. I needed a good reason to get out and talk to you about what the fuck happened to me today.”

         “Oh shit,” Jiwoo whispered. “Wanna go to my place? I actually do have a cat if you need something to cuddle.”

         Jungeun relaxed a bit at hearing that offer. Jiwoo could always be counted on to bring happiness to any situation.

         “Sure,” Jungeun said with a weak, but genuine smile. “That’d be great.”

         Jungeun followed Jiwoo in her car all the way to her apartment downtown. She lived in a tiny shoebox of a room, but it was cozy and screamed Jiwoo. The walls were decorated with various drawings, posters, magazine articles, and knick-knacks on shelves. The kitchen was overflowing with fruits and vegetables, and an entire shelf of the pantry was stocked with sweets. Her cat’s name was Princess, and she was as fluffy and friendly as Jiwoo was. As soon as Jungeun sat down on the mint green couch, Princess was on her lap, purring and mewing for attention.

         “Do you need anything to drink for this spilling session?” Jiwoo asked from the kitchen.

         “No thanks,” Jungeun replied as she scratched behind Princess’s ears.

         Jiwoo sat on a huge fluffy chair to the side of the couch and held a glass of ice water in her hands. She took a big gulp and smacked her lips before folding her legs beneath her and looking at Jungeun expectantly.

         “So I went to Gemzana, where Haseul works,” Jungeun said. “And first of all it’s like this really sketchy building with no signs anywhere and no security and a tiny empty lobby with one set of chairs and one table so I was already skeptical of this whole thing.”

         “Oh, weird,” Jiwoo said.

         “Yeah, like Haseul has a fuckton of money but she’s working at this shit hole? Suspicious. So anyway, the receptionist was really rude but she called for Haseul and she told me to sit down in one of the ugly chairs, so I did. I waited like 2 minutes and then this _bitch_ comes out with her stupid tight dress and bright red lipstick and is all…”

         Jungeun put her hand on her hip and twisted her mouth into a frown and turned her eyebrows into each other to create a ridiculous caricature of what she envisioned Sooyoung to look like.

         “’Haseul is _soooo_ busy right now, she can’t come to see you. I’ll tell her you were here, though’ and was giving me this creepy smile and trying and failing to make me believe Haseul just wasn’t going to see me. I told her I was her girlfriend, so she would probably come out if she knew that, but she was all ‘No she’s too busy sorry’ and Jiwoo…. I almost punched her right then and there.”

         “But you didn’t?” Jiwoo asked.

        She was on the edge of her seat, her mouth agape and her drink loose in her hand. Jungeun sighed and shook her head. Princess meowed loudly beneath her because she had stopped petting in favor of using her hands to tell the story, so she went back to scratching her head.

         “That’s so weird,” Jiwoo said, taking a sip of her drink. “What are you going to do about it?”

         “That’s the thing,” Jungeun replied. “I have no idea what to do now. I’m just so pissed and now I _know_ something weird is happening, but I can’t figure out what.”

         Jiwoo chugged down the rest of her drink with a focused look on her face as she thought of an answer. Her eyebrows rose as she was nearing the bottom of the glass, but she finished it off and slammed it on the coffee table in front of her.

         “What if we stake out the building and wait for Haseul to come out and then when she does we throw her in the backseat of the car and drive away and you ask her all the questions you need answered and if she won’t answer I’ll spray her in the eyes with a water gun until she does? We can probably get your roommate to be the driver!”

         Jungeun opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn’t find the right words. She pressed her mouth into a thin line and thought carefully of how to phrase this.

         “Jiwoo,” Jungeun said. “I love you, but stuff like that only happens in movies. It’s not as successful in real life.”

         “I know,” Jiwoo pouted. “But that would be so cool.”

         “Agreed,” Jungeun said with a nod.

         Now that she had let out most of her anger and actually told someone what happened, the anxiety and worry started to creep back into her chest. She still had no idea why Sooyoung was hiding Haseul, or why Haseul had been acting so weird lately. She looked down at Princess, who was purring loudly and nudging her head into Jungeun’s hands and felt her eyes start to water.

         “You okay?” Jiwoo asked.

         “Yeah, I’m fine,” Jungeun said as she snapped her head up and shook her head to compose herself. “I’m okay. I should probably go home and tell Jinsoul about all of this, too.”

         “Okay!” Jiwoo said as she stood up. “If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know. And feel free to come over and hug Princess anytime you need to. God knows she needs all the attention she can get.”

         “Thanks,” Jungeun said as she put Princess on the ground gently, despite her meows of protest. “I really appreciate it.”

         Jungeun arrived home and told Jinsoul the whole story, although it was not as animated as it was when she told Jiwoo. Jinsoul had more or less the same thoughts – very weird, but what can we do about it? Jungeun started to feel helpless, but she put on a brave face and held herself together through the night… and the next night, and the night after that, and several more nights after that...

**

         3 weeks later, Jungeun still hadn’t heard anything from Haseul. She had decided that Haseul must have just ghosted her.

         “She must have found someone else,” Jungeun thought often to herself. “Someone less needy, less annoying, probably a better kisser, the list goes on.”

         Jungeun hated the thought, but she started to wonder if Sooyoung was the new girl. She was certainly much prettier than her, and obviously more confident. Maybe Haseul wanted a more dominating personality to be with. She just wished Haseul hadn’t done it in this way.

         “Order 38!”

         Jungeun looked up from her phone and walked up to the counter to pick up her food. As she was reaching for the tray, another set of hands reached for it at the same time. They both flinched back, and Jungeun looked up to apologize but the words got caught in her throat. The girl standing beside her had small, soft eyes and a familiar button nose. Her hair was a different color, but it was definitely her.

         “Kahei,” Jungeun said. “You dyed your hair.”

         “Jungeun,” Kahei replied. “I did.”

         They scanned each other’s faces briefly before they realized the awkward silence.

         “Did you order the enchilada too?” Kahei asked.

         “Yeah, but mine’s with red sauce. This one has green.”

         “Ah, yeah, that’s mine then,” Kahei said as she pulled the tray toward her. “Hey, I’m not here with anyone if you want to join me and catch up.”

         Jungeun saw a worried look flash across Kahei’s face before she smiled casually to mask it.

         “Sure, I’ll come sit with you when I get my food,” Jungeun said.

         Kahei nodded and headed into the dining area to find a table. Jungeun watched as she walked away, trying to remember what she looked like with pink hair. The brown hair suited her very well, making it difficult now to imagine her any other way. It had been a few years, but Kahei looked just as beautiful as Jungeun remembered.

         “Order 39!”

         The enchilada placed on the counter this time had red sauce on it. Jungeun picked up the tray and made her way to Kahei’s table. She slid into the booth across from her and unfolded her silverware, trying to avoid eye contact for as long as possible.

         “So,” Kahei said as she picked at her food. “How have you been?”

         “I’ve been okay,” Jungeun replied. “Honestly, the most exciting thing to happen is I recently broke my leg and dislocated my ankle.”

         “Woah, how did that happen?”

         “I tripped when I was stepping out of my truck.”

         “Oh my god, are you okay?” Kahei asked as she reached out to touch Jungeun’s arm.

         Jungeun looked at the hand on her arm and Kahei recoiled it back, but the look of panic didn’t leave her face. She still looked to Jungeun for answers.

         “I’m fine,” Jungeun said with a laugh. “I just had to wear a cast for a while, but I’m all better now. Thanks for the concern.”

         Kahei relaxed her hand on the table and smiled with one side of her mouth. Jungeun had forgotten how much she liked that smile.

         “Good,” Kahei said. “I can’t imagine the panic it would send me through if I knew you had gotten hurt.”

         “Even now?” Jungeun asked, tilting her head to one side.

         Kahei’s lips parted slightly and she blushed as if she had been caught. She nodded quickly and went back to eating her food. Jungeun smirked as soon as Kahei looked away and she focused on her still-untouched food. They ate in silence for a while, exchanging shy glances every so often. Kahei was nearly done with her enchilada when she threw her napkin onto her plate, signifying she had given up.

         “I’m so full,” Kahei groaned.

         “Wimp,” Jungeun said around her last bite.

         Kahei scrunched her nose and half-smiled again, making Jungeun have to look away to avoid staring. It was weird falling back into this familiar feeling with her ex-girlfriend.

         “Well, I better head back to work,” Jungeun said as she started to collect her things.

         “Yeah, me too,” Kahei said as she did the same.

         They slid out of the booth, threw out their trash, and walked out of the restaurant together. They stood outside awkwardly, unsure of how to say goodbye.

         “So, Jungeun,” Kahei said. “I know it’s been a long time and we kind of ended on bad terms, but I think it’d be nice to hang out and catch up for real, like, maybe when we’re better prepared.”

         “Are you asking me on a date, Kahei?” Jungeun teased.

         “I mean in so many words,” Kahei said with a wide smile. “Yeah, I am.”

         “A date with my ex,” Jungeun said. “Interesting concept… but I’m down.”

         “Great. Do you still have my number?”

         “I think so,” Jungeun said as she pulled out her phone. “If not, I’ll find you some other way.”

         “You better,” Kahei said as she leaned forward and pecked Jungeun on the cheek. “Bye, Jungie.”

         “Bye,” Jungeun replied as she touched her cheek.

         She turned around and headed to her car, her mind reeling with conflicting emotions.

         _Jinsoul is definitely gonna kill me._

**

         “YOU’RE GOING ON A DATE WITH THAT CRAZY BITCH?!”

         Jungeun winced at the sound of Jinsoul’s booming voice. She had been getting more and more riled up the longer Jungeun talked about her surprise lunch date with Kahei. She wasn’t happy, to say the least.

         “AFTER ALL THE SHIT SHE PUT YOU THROUGH AND ALL THE HEARTACHE I HAD TO HELP YOU WORK OUT, YOU’RE JUST GONNA RUN BACK TO HER AFTER ONE LUNCH?! ARE YOU INSANE?!”

         Jinsoul was right. Kahei was the worst girlfriend ever. She constantly asked Jungeun to bend over backwards to get her what she wanted, yet if Jungeun ever needed anything, she was called needy and demanding. Kahei was the type to become jealous if Jungeun so much as looked at another girl, no matter if she was a stranger or her best friend. Jungeun made excuses for her for nearly a year before Kahei finally snapped and left Jungeun on the side of the road after a big fight on the way to the movies. Jinsoul had to pick her up literally and figuratively. Jungeun was a mess for weeks.

         “She seemed different, I don’t know,” Jungeun said. “She seemed like she’s calmed down a lot since we dated.”

         “Yeah, she seemed chill as fuck when we first met her, too, but you saw that was all bullshit. How could you think this time is going to be any different?”

         “I don’t know,” Jungeun said. “I don’t fucking know.”

         “Look, I know you’re still upset about Haseul, and I understand maybe you need some attention from a cute girl to help you cope with it, but _not with Kahei_. I’m begging you. Please don’t open that door again.”

         “Okay, okay, I won’t. You’re right.”

         “Thank you,” Jinsoul sighed.

         “But I already told her I’d text her. I can’t just ignore her.”

         “Why not? She’s done much worse to you.”

         Jungeun didn’t have a reply to that. Jinsoul was right. She didn’t deserve such kindness.

         “You’re right,” Jungeun said as she dragged her feet to the couch and flopped onto it. “I can’t say I’m not disappointed, though. I was looking forward to getting some affection.”

         Jungeun heard Jinsoul shuffling toward her and then suddenly a weight like a sack of potatoes fell onto her back. Jinsoul wrapped her arms around Jungeun as much as she could and nuzzled her face into Jungeun’s back.

         “I have lots of cuddles for you, buddy,” Jinsoul said. “You can count on me for that!”

         Jinsoul groaned loudly, but she laughed through it after a few seconds. She was happy to know Jinsoul would always be there to meet her most basic needs. Jinsoul made it easy to forget about agony and stress just by being her goofy self. They decided to make homemade pizzas for dinner, which ended with a 2-hour trip to the grocery store and flour covering their entire bodies as well as the kitchen.

         “Why do we always make a mess when we hang out for more than a couple hours?” Jungeun asked as they wiped down the counters.

         “Because we have no self-control, and because we’re idiots.”

         Jungeun snorted, but she nodded in agreement. They finished cleaning the kitchen and realized it was nearly midnight, so they decided to turn in. Jungeun changed into an oversized t-shirt and pulled off her pants before crawling under the covers and rolling herself into a burrito The warmth under the covers was heavenly, and the perfect condition for Jungeun to fall asleep nearly instantly.

         Jungeun’s eyes squinted open at the sound of the opening bass line to My Girl by The Temptations. She blinked a few times to remember where she was and found the light from her phone beside her. She picked it up and slid her thumb across to accept the call without checking to see who it was.

         “Hello?” she asked groggily.

         _“Jungeun, I’m so glad to hear your voice.”_

Jungeun’s eyes shot open. She recognized that voice from the moment she said her name. Haseul was whispering and she sounded like she had been crying.

         “Haseul? Is that you?”

         _“Yes, oh my god baby I’m so happy you picked up.”_

“Where have you been?” Jungeun asked, tears welling in her eyes. “I missed you so much.”

         _“There’s a lot to explain and I don’t have the time right now. I really shouldn’t even be calling you, but I just needed you to know that I’m still here. I’m going to get out of this mess soon, I just have to figure out how.”_

“Haseul, what are you talking about? Are you in trouble?”

         _“Like I said, I can’t explain it all right now, but I’m okay. I’m coming back to you, I promise. I love you, Jungeun. I want you to know that.”_

Jungeun gasped, the tears now flowing freely down her cheeks. Haseul sounded so scared and so desperate, and Jungeun was annoyed that the moment she first heard her say “I love you” had to be under these circumstances. She wanted nothing more than to hold Haseul in her arms and tell her everything was going to be okay.

         _“I have to go, they’re coming back now. Please stay safe.”_

The call ended, and Jungeun fell to pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter: @breadjiin  
> curiouscat: breadjiin


	8. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends! It’s been a minute, but I hope y’all are still with me! The next chapter should come fairly soon, I just wanted to spread out pieces of the story because this is sort of the beginning of the end. Thanks for reading, and as always let me know what you think :D

Jungeun lied awake, staring into the darkness of her room. Her sobs had died down now, leaving only the sense of dread from the phone call she had just received. It had been weeks since she heard Haseul’s voice. Hearing it so desperately calling for her yet still attempting to sound strong and reassuring was worse than any of the scenarios she had imagined when she thought of what Haseul might say if she ever returned. As much as Jungeun wanted to cry, scream, run, she couldn’t feel anything but numbness. She didn’t know what to do. 

 

At some point, she had fallen asleep. She only knew this because she woke up with a jolt to the sound of her phone ringing. She picked it up in a haste, hoping to hear the voice she was missing once more. Instead, it was Min-jun.

 

“Jungeun, where are you?” he shouted. “You’re two hours late!”

 

Jungeun sighed and squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a dull sting behind them. She steadied herself and opened her mouth with the intention of explaining she would be there soon, but she knew that wasn’t the truth.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said in a strained tone. “I’m very sick, I’m going to have to stay home today. I should have called, but I fell asleep.”

 

“Fine,” Min-jun huffed. “But you’re getting a write-up when you come back.”

 

“I understand.”

 

There was an awkward lull, but Jungeun heard Min-jun inhale quietly.

 

“Feel better soon,” he said before abruptly ending the call.

 

Jungeun rolled over on her side and checked her notifications. There were several messages from a very concerned Jiwoo asking where she was. She wanted to ignore them, but thought better of it. Jiwoo would probably break down her door in fear that something terrible happened to her.

 

**_Jungeun:_ ** _ hey, i’m okay _

 

__ **_Jungeun:_ ** _ just not feeling well _

 

__ Jungeun locked her phone and laid it face-down on her chest, but not for long. She knew Jiwoo would poke her for more information, so she figured she might as well give it to her.

 

**_Jungeun:_ ** _ can you come over later though? I have news. _

 

__ **_Jungeun:_ ** _ Haseul news. _

 

__ A reply came within seconds.

 

**_Jiwoo:_ ** _ yes omg!!!!!!!! _

 

__ **_Jiwoo:_ ** _ wait _

 

__ **_Jiwoo:_ ** _ Haseul?????? _

 

__ **_Jiwoo:_ ** _ i’m coming straight there after work _

 

__ Jungeun threw her phone aside and spread her arms out on either side of her. She stared at the ceiling as she imagined the shock on Jiwoo’s face when she tells her what happened. She imagined her coming up with wild ideas as to what happened to Haseul, and asking Jinsoul for her input-- 

 

_ Jinsoul. _

 

__ Jungeun widened her eyes at the thought of Jinsoul. If anyone would know what to do in this situation, it was her. Jungeun leapt out of bed and stepped out into the kitchen to find her roommate leaning against the counter in her signature light blue fluffy robe, holding a mug in one hand and her phone in the other. She looked up at Jungeun and smiled briefly before going back to her phone, but she snapped her attention back in a double take before long. 

 

“I thought you worked today,” Jinsoul said. 

 

“I did,” Jungeun replied. “But, uh… something came up.”

 

Jinsoul sipped at her coffee and arched an eyebrow over the top of the mug. She nodded toward the living room and briskly, but silently, made her way to the couch and sat down on the ottoman of the far end. Jungeun followed and stood awkwardly by the other end of the couch. She ran a shaky hand through her hair, unsure of how to even begin telling Jinsoul what happened. She could barely believe it herself.

 

“So, last night,” Jungeun said. “I got a call at like 3 in the morning. I was obviously asleep, so I just picked up without even checking to see who it was. It was Haseul.”

 

Jinsoul didn’t even flinch. She was a rock, completely passive in her expression. She sipped at her coffee once more and waited for Jungeun to continue. Jungeun swallowed hard and furrowed her brow, trying to remember every detail.

 

“She said she called to tell me everything was okay, and that she was going to get out of wherever she was and find me. She sounded scared, like she was afraid of getting caught. She hung up before I could really process what was happening, but it was enough to scare the living shit out of me.”

 

Jinsoul’s expression had hardened as Jungeun spoke. Her eyebrows knitted together, and her mouth had pressed into a tight line. She looked like she was concentrating very hard on something, but couldn’t find the answer she was looking for. 

 

“How long has it been now since she stopped talking to you?” Jinsoul asked.

 

“22 days yesterday,” Jungeun replied without a second to think about it.

 

Jinsoul nodded solemnly and stared down at her mug for a moment before looking back at Jungeun.

 

“Are you sure this wasn’t a dream?”

 

“No, look,” Jungeun said as she pulled up her call history and held it out for Jinsoul to see. “There’s a 47-second long call at 3:23AM last night from Haseul. It was real.”

 

“Well, I know what we have to do, then.”

 

“Y-you do?”

 

“Has she ever shared her location with you?”

 

“Yeah, but it’s turned off now,” Jungeun said as she checked for the thousandth time. 

 

“Hmm,” Jinsoul said, twisting her mouth to one side as she tapped the side of her mug. “Can you ask Jiwoo to come over after work?”

 

Jungeun wasn’t sure what Jinsoul was getting at, or how she knew Jiwoo was working, but she ignored that for the moment.

 

    “Uh, I already asked her to. I was going to tell her everything then.”

 

“Oh, that’s perfect!”

 

Jinsoul suddenly shot up off the couch and ran back toward the kitchen. Jungeun heard the water run for a moment and then the sound of footsteps as Jinsoul peeped her head back into the living room.

 

“When she gets here, we’ll plan together. Tell her to bring extra clothes.” 

 

“W-wait, what are we doing exactly?” Jungeun asked. 

 

“We’re gonna get your girl back,” Jinsoul said, donning a very serious expression. 

 

“We-- how?”

 

“That’s what we’re going to figure out when Jiwoo gets here. In the meantime, I’m going out to get supplies.” 

 

Jinsoul disappeared into her room and left Jungeun standing in the middle of the living room, completely baffled. How on earth did she expect to even  _ find _ Haseul, let alone “get her back” from whatever this situation was? And that was another thing -- Jungeun had no idea how serious (and potentially dangerous) Haseul’s situation was, so how could they possibly work around that? Jinsoul emerged seconds later in a black t-shirt and jeans and her hair thrown up into a bun. 

 

“Do you need anything while I’m out?” she asked as she stepped into a pair of slip-ons.

 

“Uh… no?” 

 

“Cool, let me know if you think of anything.”

 

    “O-okay…”

 

    “And let me know when Jiwoo’s on her way. See you later.”

 

Jinsoul stepped out of the apartment, and Jungeun remained in her spot in the living room, confused as ever, until her stomach started to rumble. She realized then she hadn’t eaten anything for nearly 24 hours. She stepped into the kitchen and started to make herself a bowl of cereal when she heard her phone vibrate.

 

**_Vivi:_ ** _ hey, jungeun? It’s vivi! _

 

**_Vivi:_ ** _ is this still your number? I’m sorry if this is too forward, I just got impatient :P _

 

__ Jungeun grimaced at the text and flipped her phone over as she sat down to eat.That was one can of worms she didn’t need to open right now, and maybe not ever again.

  
  
**  
  


Jiwoo arrived with a backpack hanging off her shoulder, a duffel bag in one hand, and a leash in the other. As soon as Jungeun opened the door, Princess was wedging herself between her legs and rubbing all over her ankles. 

 

“Hey!” Jiwoo exclaimed as she stepped past Jungeun and into the apartment. “I hope you don’t mind I brought Princess. When you said you had Haseul news, I had to bring reinforcements.”

 

Jungeun closed the door and nearly stepped on Princess when she turned around. She sat at her feet, meowing loudly for attention. Jiwoo unclipped the leash and Princess jumped into Jungeun’s arms, purring and shedding cat hair all over her shirt. Jungeun could hardly process what was going on (that seemed to be the theme for the day), but she gave Princess the head scratches she was so desperately seeking. 

 

    “Where should I put my stuff?” Jiwoo asked.

 

    “Are you spending the night?” Jungeun asked, tilting her head.

 

“I’m not sure,” Jiwoo said with a shrug. “I got a text from Jinsoul that only said ‘Tonight we ride’ so I came prepared for anything.”

 

Jungeun raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth to speak, but decided not to comment. Jinsoul had clearly taken the reins of this operation… whatever it was.

 

“We have a guest room you can stay in,” Jungeun said, pointing to a door at the end of the hallway next to her room. 

 

Jiwoo nodded excitedly and disappeared into the guest room. Jungeun walked to the living room and sat on the couch with Princess in her lap. She ran her hands over the length of Princess’s back as she tried to ground herself. Ever since Jinsoul left, she had been switching between pacing around the house and standing at the window, looking out onto the street. She was somewhere between worried and calm, constantly coming up with worst-case scenarios for what happened to Haseul, but somehow knowing that everything would be okay in the end. At the core of everything, she just didn’t know how to feel. 

 

“Okay, I’m ready for the news!” Jiwoo called as she plopped cross-legged onto the couch and grabbed a pillow to hold in her lap.

 

“I’ll just cut right to the chase,” Jungeun said. 

 

She explained the conversation to Jiwoo just as she did with Jinsoul. Jiwoo gasped and ooh’d and ahh’d after nearly every sentence, completely engrossed in the story. She gripped the pillow tightly in her hands, and when Jungeun finished her eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets.

 

“So we’re gonna find her and get her back,” Jiwoo said, leaning her head forward.

 

“I guess? Jinsoul seems to have some sort of plan.” 

 

“This is so exciting,” Jiwoo said, bouncing in her seat. “It’s like one of those spy movies! Maybe we’ll have to chase after her in a car and pull her out of their window into our car while we’re all going like 100 miles an hour and there’s a motorcycle guy who tries to stop us but we’re like ‘NO WAY GUY’ and kick him in the face and he flies off the bike and--”

 

“Jiwoo.”

 

Jiwoo had kicked her leg out into the air for emphasis, but she held it straight out when Jungeun stopped her. 

 

“Sorry,” she said as she pulled her leg back. “That’s probably not going to happen… BUT IT COULD!”

 

“That’s the thing,” Jungeun said. “I have no idea what’s happening with Haseul, but everyone seems to be acting like it’s going to be some secret agent shit to get her back. What if she just took the wrong train somewhere and got mugged and now she’s stranded?”

 

“I don’t think so… doesn’t she have lots of money? She could just go to a bank and find her way back if that happened.”

 

“Well, what if she just wanted space and couldn’t find the heart to tell me and she’s been home this whole time?”

 

“If she did that, she’s a terrible person. And why would she make up this whole story to tell you at 3 in the morning just for that?” Jiwoo said with an arched eyebrow.

 

Jungeun slumped her shoulders. She knew it couldn’t have been that simple, but she needed to talk through some of the possibilities she had come up with to be sure. 

 

“Honestly,” Jiwoo said quietly. “I don’t want to scare you, but it kind of sounds like she might have been kidnapped.”

 

Jungeun had thought of that, but she tried to push it out of her mind. Haseul sounded scared, but she clearly had access to her phone for some small amount of time. She kept reassuring her that everything was okay, but she was having trouble getting back. Kidnappers don’t usually let their hostages near their phones, right?

 

The front door opened and closed, and the sound of jingling keys grew as Jinsoul stepped into the living room with several bags in her hands.

 

“Hey,” she said. “Jiwoo, nice to see you again.”

 

“Hi!” Jiwoo’s face lit up like a Christmas tree upon hearing Jinsoul’s voice.

 

“You guys didn’t plan anything without me, did you?” Jinsoul asked as she sat on the floor in front of the couch. 

 

“I don’t even know what we’re planning for,” Jungeun said, leaning forward and resting her forearms on her knees.

 

“We, my friends, are going to rescue Haseul from her prison.”

 

“She’s in prison?” Jiwoo said with a gasp.

 

“No, I mean a figurative prison,” Jinsoul said with a soft smile before turning to Jungeun. “Did you tell Jiwoo about your run-in with scary lady when you tried to visit Haseul?”

 

“Sooyoung,” Jungeun said with a scowl. “Yeah, I told her.”

 

“What did you think of that?” Jinsoul asked Jiwoo.

 

“It sounded like she was hiding something,” Jiwoo said. “I don’t think she wanted Jungeun to see Haseul, and she probably never told Haseul that she visited either.”

 

“I had the exact same thought,” Jinsoul said. “Therefore, I think Sooyoung is hiding Haseul and keeping her hostage. Why? I don’t know. But that’s what we have to find out and that’s how we’re going to figure out how to get to Haseul.”

 

Jungeun furrowed her brow as she listened. She hadn’t thought about Sooyoung in a while and the overwhelming hatred was returning quickly. She had never admitted it to herself, but the sneaking suspicion she’s had since that day was still lingering in the back of her mind. 

 

“But what if Haseul really just didn’t want to see me?” Jungeun asked. “What if she was using Sooyoung to keep me away so she didn’t have to break up with me in person?”

 

“I had that thought, too,” Jinsoul said. “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to believe it either, but last night proves that’s not true. She’s being kept away somewhere, and Sooyoung was just trying to keep you far away so you wouldn’t find out. She probably  _ wanted _ you to think Haseul didn’t want to talk to you so you would stay away.”

 

The three of them sat in silence for a minute. Jungeun was tuned out, thinking of what Sooyoung’s motives could be. Was she a jealous ex-girlfriend? Had she always wanted Haseul for herself? Why was she so smug about keeping Haseul hidden away? Was Sooyoung even her real name?

 

“So… what do you think we should do?” Jiwoo asked.

 

“I have an idea, but I wanted your opinions on it,” Jinsoul said as she looked through the bags beside her. 

 

She reached into a bag from a department store and pulled out a stack of clothes and a pair of dress shoes. She then reached into a second bag and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, binoculars, a pack of walkie-talkies, and a small black box. Jungeun looked between Jinsoul, Jiwoo, and the pile of items on the floor, waiting for an explanation.

 

“I’m going to walk into the office posing as a job-seeker,” Jinsoul said as she held up the clothes in her lap. “The sunglasses have a mic on them that we can link to a device in this box so you guys can hear everything from the car. The walkie-talkies are for Step 2.”

 

“Wait,” Jungeun said. “How do you know you’re even going to get an interview? Don’t you have to schedule those ahead of time? Also are they even hiring?”

 

“Listen, Jungeun,” Jinsoul said with a hand up between them. “I have a lot of experience worming my way into buildings I’m not  _ technically _ supposed to be in. I do it in the name of a good photo for my clients, so I’m sure I can apply it to this. I can get myself in there. Have some faith.”

 

Jungeun was still mostly unconvinced, but she shrugged and nodded for her to continue.

 

“Step 2,” Jinsoul said as she picked up the binoculars and walkie-talkies. “Is where we all work together. Once I get inside, I’m going to find out where Haseul is and how they have her kept inside. Obviously, we’ll have to adjust accordingly, but wherever she is we’ll just have to stake out the place and build a course of action. The binoculars are for the lookout and they will use the walkie talkies to keep in contact with us while we get Haseul out.”

 

“Ooh! Can I be the lookout?” Jiwoo asked with a gleam in her eye.

 

“I was actually going to ask you,” Jinsoul said with a smile. “It’s a really important job, but I know you’ll do great.”

 

Jiwoo blushed a deep red, but she didn’t seem to care. She batted her eyelashes and smiled wider than Jungeun had ever seen. She looked back at Jinsoul to find her blushing a light pink and smiling dreamily back at Jiwoo. They stared at each other for a painfully long time before Jungeun decided she’d had enough.

 

“Okay,  _ anyway _ ,” Jungeun said. “What’s the timeline for this? Are we doing this all in one day?”

 

“I mean, yeah,” Jinsoul said plainly. “I figured I could go tomorrow and we can probably get all the information we need to get her out by tomorrow night.”

 

“And you thought of all of this today?” Jungeun asked.

 

Jinsoul smirked and nodded with pride. 

 

“I think it’s perfect,” Jiwoo said as she kicked her legs out with glee.

 

Jungeun remained skeptical, but she agreed to the plan. She only wished she didn’t have to wait until the next day to get started. All of the anxieties and worry she felt when Haseul first disappeared were back in full force. She fell back onto the couch at the thought of the sleepless night ahead of her. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter: @breadjiin  
> curiouscat: breadjiin


	9. The Interview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m lowkey really happy with this chapter I hope y’all like it! Next chapter will be the last :S

    Jungeun and Jiwoo sat at the island in the kitchen, scrolling idly through their phones for nearly an hour before they heard Jinsoul’s door open.

 

    “Finally,” Jungeun said. “Are you ready to go?”

 

    Jinsoul slid out from behind a wall wearing a two-piece dark grey suit with a silky, powder blue blouse unbuttoned one button too far beneath it. She pushed her sunglasses to the edge of her nose and looked over them at Jungeun and Jiwoo.

 

    “Oh, I’m ready, baby,” she said in a low voice.

 

    Jiwoo burst into a coughing fit and stood up to steady herself against one of the counters. Jinsoul flashed a dazzling smile as she walked toward them, and Jungeun could only roll her eyes.

 

    “You look so cool,” Jiwoo said as her coughs subsided.

 

    “That’s the idea,” Jinsoul replied as she stepped into a pair of black heels.

 

    “You’re going to seduce your way into the office?” Jungeun asked.

 

    “Well yeah,” Jinsoul said with a shrug. “It’s worked for me so far.”

 

    Jiwoo and Jungeun shared a look of mild disbelief, but they shook their heads slightly and walked to the door to put on their own shoes. They all climbed into Jinsoul’s car and recapped the plan one last time.

 

    “Okay, like I said yesterday,” Jinsoul said pulling off her sunglasses and pointing at a tiny hole in the center of the bridge. “There’s a camera right here. You’ll be able to see and hear what’s coming through it on the app I had Jungeun download.”

 

    Jungeun held up her phone and could see Jiwoo waving at the camera.

 

    “And the video should adjust even if I tuck them into my jacket pocket. I also got a mic set so that you can talk to me.”

 

    Jinsoul held up a tiny microphone and handed it to Jiwoo.

 

    “I have a bud in my ear,” Jinsoul said as she pushed her hair back to show a flesh-colored device lodged in her right ear. “So if you need me to adjust the camera view or if you need to tell me something, just talk through there. Make sense?”

 

    “Yes,” Jiwoo whispered into the mic.

 

    “Honey,” Jinsoul said as she put a hand on Jiwoo’s. “It’s not on yet, but I like the enthusiasm.”

 

    Jiwoo giggled and fell back into her seat to buckle herself in. She seemed more excited than anyone else about this plan. The drive was mostly silent, save for the faint sound of lo-fi music streaming from the radio. Jinsoul parked at the very far end of the parking lot and turned to her friends one last time.

 

    “How do I look?” she asked, adjusting her shirt.

 

    “Hot,” Jiwoo said immediately.

 

    Jinsoul smirked and Jungeun whipped her head around to look at her in confusion.

 

    “I mean -- great!” Jiwoo said, her cheeks turning red.

 

    “Perfect,” Jinsoul said as she fluffed her hair. “Wish me luck, ladies.”

 

    Jinsoul put on her sunglasses and stepped out of the car. Jungeun propped her phone onto a mount above the radio as Jiwoo climbed over and into the driver’s seat. They watched as Jinsoul approached the front office of Gemzana.

 

    “This place is so dull looking,” Jinsoul said. “You would never know this was a game developer’s office.”

 

    “I had the same thought when I came the first time,” Jungeun said.

 

    “It’s like they don’t want to be found,” Jiwoo said.

 

    “It’s getting more and more sketchy as we go on,” Jinsoul whispered as she approached the door. “Okay, here I go.”

 

   

 

**Jinsoul POV**

 

    Jinsoul stepped into a small room about as dull as the exterior of the building. There was a wide receptionist desk ahead of her, and a set of chairs off to one side. Behind the desk was a woman with high cheekbones, recently-dyed reddish brown hair, and large glasses that nicely framed her face. The woman glanced up at Jinsoul for a moment when she walked in, but she quickly returned her attention to the computer in front of her.

 

    “Good Morning,” Jinsoul said as she tucked her sunglasses into the pocket on the front of her jacket. “How are you today?”

 

    The woman blew a bubble with the gum in her mouth and looked at Jinsoul as she popped it. Jinsoul watched as her pupils dilated the longer they stared at each other. Jinsoul lifted one side of her mouth into a sly smile, fully aware of what kind of effect it had.

 

    “I-I’m okay,” the woman replied finally. “How can I be of service?”

 

    “‘ _How can I be of service?’”_ Jungeun said through the earpiece. “ _She hardly even looked at me when I was there.”_

 

“I found this studio online,” Jinsoul said, tossing her hair behind her. “I was wondering if you have any job openings?”

 

    “We don’t, unfortunately,” the woman said, blinking rapidly and turning in her chair to face Jinsoul completely. “But I can, uh, take down your information?”

 

    The woman looked hopeful, pulling out a pen and paper without taking her eyes off Jinsoul.

 

    _“I’m gagging,”_ Jungeun said.

 

    “Oh, are you sure?” Jinsoul asked. “I _really_ need a job. I was hoping I could at least talk to someone about it? Maybe?”

 

    Jinsoul batted her eyelashes and leaned over the top of the desk, consciously positioning her arms so that they pushed her boobs up. The woman’s eyes glanced down quickly, her eyebrows turning in toward each other as Jinsoul leaned into her.

 

    “L-let me see what I can do,” she said as she picked up a phone and dialed quickly.

 

    Jinsoul mouthed a “thank you” and smiled widely. She reached over and picked up the pen and paper as the woman called, writing down her name and a fake phone number.

 

    _“You’re seriously -- Jinsoul, we have a mission here,”_ Jungeun said.

 

    Jinsoul drew a heart beside her name and slid it back with a wink.

 

    “Yes ma’am,” the woman said over the phone. “She seems _very qualified_. Yes. Okay.”

 

    She hung up and ripped the page from her notepad and folded it. She looked up at Jinsoul and motioned to the set of chairs in the corner.

 

    “Please have a seat, uh,” she quickly looked at the paper in her hand. “Jinsoul. Someone will be with you in a moment.”

 

    “Thank you, Miss...” Jinsoul said, extending a hand and raising her eyebrows to ask the woman’s name in return.

 

    “Minji,” the woman replied as she took Jinsoul’s hand and lightly shook it.

 

    “Nice to meet you, Minji,” Jinsoul said with another smile.

 

    _“You’re such a ham,”_ Jungeun said.

 

    _“Hey, it worked, at least!”_ Jiwoo interjected.

 

    Jinsoul spun on her heel and lifted the sunglasses slightly to wink at the camera before settling into one of the lounge chairs. She crossed one leg over the other and folded her hands over her lap as she looked around the office. There wasn’t much to look at, but the peering eyes of Minji over her computer screen were a bit disconcerting. Jinsoul busied herself with pretending to pick at threads in the chair she was sitting in.

 

    _“Where is she?”_ Jiwoo asked.

 

    _“Probably has to transform herself from hideous hag witch with a hump to beautiful, tall, scary, business lady,” Jungeun said. “It takes a while.”_

 

Jinsoul rolled her eyes slightly and looked up just as the door behind the receptionist desk opened and a beautiful, tall, scary, business lady emerged. Jinsoul felt like her eyes were literally bulging out of their sockets at the sight of the woman walking toward her. She scrambled to her feet and smoothed out her jacket.

 

    _“That’s her,”_ Jungeun said.

 

    _“Hoooooly shit,”_ Jiwoo whispered. _“Is she even human?”_

 

“Hello, I’m Sooyoung,” she said, extending a hand.

 

    “Jinsoul,” Jinsoul replied, taking the hand and resisting the urge the kiss it.

 

    “So, you’re interested in a job at Gemzana?” Sooyoung asked, a small smile tugging at the corners of the mouth.

 

    “Yes, ma’am,” Jinsoul replied, folding her hands in front of her. “If you’ll have me.”

 

    “Well, we don’t have anything at the moment,” Sooyoung said, very deliberately looking Jinsoul over. “But why don’t you come to my office and we can try to work something out?”

 

    _“I can’t believe how easy that was,”_ Jungeun said.

 

    _“Jinsoul you’re a living legend,”_ Jiwoo said, her voice louder than before, as if she was closer to the mic.

 

    Jinsoul couldn’t help but smile at Jiwoo’s remark, and Sooyoung smiled wider at the sight. She started to turn away, beckoning Jinsoul to follow her. Jinsoul adjusted the sunglasses and followed Sooyoung toward the door she came from, wiggling her fingers at Minji as she passed. Behind the door was a wide room with a wall of packages wrapped in brown paper on one side and a long set of small lockers on the other. Directly to the left, tucked in a corner, was a small table with 4 chairs, a fridge, and a giant freezer beside it. There were two men talking quietly to each other behind a table in front of the packages, and another by the lockers, facing away and flipping through papers in a manila folder.

 

    “This way,” Sooyoung said, pointing toward the back of the room.

 

    _“Where are the computers? I thought this was a game developing company,”_ Jiwoo said.

 

    _“Maybe on a different floor? I can see an elevator,”_ Jungeun said.

 

    Jinsoul walked slowly, trying to subtly turn her torso so that the camera could capture everything. The elevator was already waiting for them when they arrived. Someone stepped out of the elevator wearing a leather jacket and dark blue jeans. She looked up from the piece of paper she was holding and locked eyes with Jinsoul as she came to a full stop.

 

    _“Haseul!”_ Jungeun shouted.

 

    _“Jungeun, stay here. You can’t just go barging in there!”_ Jiwoo said over the sound of a car door opening.

 

    _“She needs me,”_ Jungeun said in a shaky voice.

 

    _“We’re going to get her out, but if you go in there now, we won’t be able to.”_

 

Jinsoul released the breath she had been holding as she heard the sound of the car door close. Haseul nodded at Sooyoung and shuffled past, her head bowed and staring at her papers. Sooyoung stepped into the elevator and held the door open for Jinsoul.

 

    “So, tell me about yourself,” Sooyoung said as she pushed the button for the 4th floor.

 

    Jinsoul brought herself back to the task at hand. She straightened her back and smiled warmly at Sooyoung.

 

    “My name is Jinsoul, I’m 24 years old, I have a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts, and I like long walks on the beach under the moonlight.”

 

    “Oh, do you?” Sooyoung said with a laugh. “Very impressive.”

 

    The elevator chimed and the doors slid open, revealing a room about the same size as the first floor, but entirely different in decor. The walls were painted a deep red, and all of the furniture was a mixture of dark greys and blacks. There was an enormous, sleek-looking black desk at the far end sitting in front of a long, grey couch with sharp corners. There was a liquor cabinet to the left of the elevator, and a pool table to the right. Sooyoung stopped in the middle of the room and turned to Jinsoul, a smug look on her face.

 

    “Welcome to my humble abode,” she said, spreading her arms at the space.

 

    “Wow,” Jinsoul said, spinning as she walked to look around. “This entire floor is your office?”

 

    “Yes it is,” Sooyoung said as she stepped behind her desk.

 

    “The game developing business is booming then, I take it?”

 

    Sooyoung smiled widely and gestured to the couch as she took her seat behind the desk.

 

    “So, how did you hear about us?”

 

    “Honestly, I was just looking up nearby companies and yours came up deep in the Google results,” Jinsoul said as she sat, crossing one leg casually over the other. “So I’ve been stopping door-to-door to try and at least get an interview, but I haven’t seen much success so far. Until today.”

 

    “I see,” Sooyoung said, twirling a pen between her hands. “I don’t see why anyone would turn down the chance to look at that pretty face more often.”

 

    Jinsoul let herself blush, bowing her head slightly and playing up the bashfulness.

 

    _“She’s so gross EUGH,”_ Jungeun said.

 

    “I’m not sure about that, ma’am,” Jinsoul said, tucking her hair behind her left ear. “I’m just a broke girl looking for a way to pay her bills.”

 

    Sooyoung stood and slowly made her way around to the front of her desk to lean against it, facing Jinsoul. She sat on the edge and placed her hands on either side of her, leaning forward slightly.

 

    “Jinsoul, how good are you at keeping secrets?” she asked.

 

    “It’s one of the skills on my resume,” Jinsoul replied with a grin.

 

    “Good,” Sooyoung said with a chuckle. “I think I have a job for you here, but you must know a few things first.”

 

    _“Finally, something interesting,”_ Jungeun said.

 

    Jinsoul tilted her head, and kept direct eye contact with Sooyoung to show she was listening.

 

    “First and most important, this is not a game developing studio. There is no real Gemzana company, only me and my... “

 

    Sooyoung looked away for a moment, searching for the right word.

 

    “Financial partnerships.”

 

    Jinsoul nodded along, but she wasn’t quite sure where Sooyoung was going with this.

 

    “You see, I only employ people who I think will be of use to me. People who are willing to put in the work to get the job done and get paid handsomely for it. Most of all, I need people who will listen to me and do exactly as I tell them to do. If you can do all of those things, everything you could ever want will be yours.”

 

    _“What the fuck is this bitch talking about?”_ Jungeun asked, but Jiwoo started to shush her halfway through.

 

    “I think I understand,” Jinsoul said, though she still had no idea what she meant. “What exactly does that entail?”

 

    “I’m in the courier business. We pick up packages from one location, and take them to another. There is money to be collected at either end, and sometimes a bit of critical thinking is involved in between. Are you following?”

 

    “I’m sorry, I can’t say that I--”

 

    Someone gasped through the mic.

 

    _“SHE’S A DRUG DEALER,”_ Jiwoo whisper-shouted.

 

    _“What?! Are you sure?”_ Jungeun asked.

 

    _“I’ve watched enough True Crime TV to know what this is. The packages are DRUGS, and she probably means money is sent between the people who make it and the people who buy it. THIS IS CRAZY.”_

 

“Oh,” Jinsoul said, the words clicking in her mind. “Yes, I understand now.”

 

    “Good,” Sooyoung said, pushing off the desk and sitting beside Jinsoul on the couch. “Are you interested, then?”

 

    As Jinsoul considered what to say next, Sooyoung reached a hand behind her ear to untuck the locks of hair and drag her fingers down the length of it.

 

    “I can give you everything and more,” Sooyoung said, keeping Jinsoul’s gaze as she played with her hair. “If you’ll have me.”

 

    _“Jinsoul, please don’t fuck her,”_ Jungeun said. _“Or at least wait until we’re not waiting for you in the car.”_

 

“I would--”

 

    The elevator chimed and Sooyoung slid back a few inches, looking back at the elevator angrily. Haseul emerged, holding a phone in her hand. She looked at Jinsoul for a few seconds too long before turning her attention to Sooyoung.

 

    “It’s Jaden,” she said, holding out the phone.

 

    Sooyoung’s expression changed from anger to more of an annoyance as she stood up from the couch.

 

    “Excuse me a moment,” she said to Jinsoul.

 

    She swiped the phone from Haseul and waved her off as she paced in front of the liquor cabinet. Haseul stepped backward toward the couch while keeping an eye on Sooyoung.

 

    “Jinsoul,” she whispered as she was facing away. “What are you doing here?”

 

    _“Is that Haseul? I can’t see her! Turn around!”_ Jungeun shouted.

 

    Jinsoul held the sunglasses over the edge of the couch toward Haseul and tried to seem casual as she whispered back.

 

    “I’m here to find _you._ Jungeun told me about your phone call, and we made a plan to get you out of here.”

 

    “I’m fine, I’m already working on a plan myself.”

 

    “Well, what’s your plan?”

 

    _“Tell her I love her, please, Jinsoul.”_

 

“I’m supposed to be going to a meet-up with a new client. We always have to go with a partner, just in case something happens. I was going to ditch my partner at the meet-up and find Jungeun so we could skip town and never come back.”

 

    _“That’s so romantic,”_ Jiwoo whined.

 

    “And not tell us? Her best friends?” Jinsoul whispered.

 

    “Us? You’re the only one here,” Haseul whispered back.

 

    “I have a bug on me. Jiwoo and Jungeun are out in the car. They can hear everything.”

 

    _“TELL HER JINSOUL, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!”_ Jungeun yelled.

 

    “Jungeun wants you to know she loves you.”

 

    Haseul gasped, and Jinsoul could swear she heard a whimper.

 

    “I love her, too. I’m going to get us out of this mess.”

 

    “Let us help you,” Jinsoul whispered.

 

    “Fine, yes,” Sooyoung said. “Make sure it doesn’t happen again, Jaden.”

 

    “Fine,” Haseul said, pulling a small piece of paper from her jacket pocket and holding it behind her. “This is where I’m supposed to meet the client. I already have it memorized. Meet me there at 11:00 _tonight._ I’ll explain everything then.”

 

    Sooyoung hung up and stomped back to Haseul, shoving the phone into her hand.

 

    “Next time, let me know when you’re going to barge into my office unannounced, hmm?”

 

    “Yes, ma’am,” Haseul said with a nod.

 

    Jinsoul tucked the glasses back into their pocket and stood up.

 

    “Jinsoul, have a seat, we have much more to discuss,” Sooyoung said, motioning for Jinsoul to sit back down.

 

    “Do you have a bathroom I could use?” Jinsoul asked.

 

    “Of course,” Sooyoung replied, gesturing to a door nearly hidden in the wall beside the elevator.

 

    Jinsoul locked herself in the bathroom and turned on the fan. She put on the glasses and faced the mirror so that Jungeun and Jiwoo could see her.

 

    “Did you guys get all that?” she asked.

 

    _“Jungeun’s a bit of a mess, but yes we got it,”_ Jiwoo replied.

 

    Jinsoul could hear light sobs in the background, and she winced at herself in the mirror. The sound was almost more painful than seeing it in person.

 

    “Jungeun, I think you should go alone tonight,” Jinsoul said.

 

    _“Really?”_ Jungeun said with a sniffle. _“You guys don’t want to come with me? What if something happens?”_

 

“Nothing’s going to happen. Haseul’s got it covered. Plus, I think when they find out Haseul’s missing, they’ll come looking for you, too. They probably have your information stashed away, so they’ll more than likely come to our apartment first.”

 

    _“Then you can’t be there either!”_

 

“I won’t. I’ll clear out all of our things like we were never living there. I’ll figure out where to go.”

 

    _“You can stay with me, if you need to!”_ Jiwoo said.

 

    “I appreciate it, sweets, but I don’t want you anywhere near this either,” Jinsoul said with a smile. “You cool with it, Jungeun?”

 

    _“I guess you’re right. We’re going to have to get far away fast.”_

 

“Exactly. I’m just buying you time.”

 

    _“Okay. I’ll do it.”_

 

“Perfect,” Jinsoul said with a firm nod. “So, if you guys don’t mind, I need to leave my mark on Gemzana.”

 

    _“Jinsoul… you’re not…”_ Jungeun said.

 

    “I’ll turn off the camera! And it won’t take long, I promise!”

 

    _“Jinsoul, we have shit to do!”_ Jungeun shouted.

 

    _“What is she going to do?”_ Jiwoo asked.

 

    “Like 20 minutes tops, and I’ll be out. I _swear._ ”

 

    A long, loud sigh came through the earbud.

 

    _“I know I can’t stop you, so I’m just going to say you have literally 20 minutes and not a second longer. If you’re late, we’re leaving without you.”_

 

_“What is she talking about?”_

 

“Thank you,” Jinsoul said, clapping lightly. “Over and out.”

 

    Jinsoul turned off the camera and took off her jacket. She folded it neatly in her arms and pulled at her shirt to reveal just a bit more skin. She stepped out and leaned against the doorframe, staring at the back of Sooyoung’s head.

 

    “Everything okay-- oh,” Sooyoung’s eyebrows raised halfway up her forehead.

 

    “I’d love to be part of your team, Miss Sooyoung,” Jinsoul said, walking slowly toward the couch. “If you’ll have me.”

 

    “Yes,” Sooyoung said, clearing her throat. “Yes, let’s talk assets.”

 

    “I thought you’d never ask.”

 

 

**Jungeun POV**

 

          “What did she mean?” Jiwoo asked, her eyes wide and confused.

 

          “Well,” Jungeun said with a sigh. “She has this… thing she does when she finds someone who is attractive but a terrible person.”

 

          Jiwoo furrowed her brow, even more intrigued than before.

 

         “She seduces her target and plays it up like she would with anyone, up until the point where they’re completely naked. She finds some way to get close to their ass, it’s usually easier with women, and she strikes.”

 

         Jiwoo arched an eyebrow, waiting for the punchline.

 

         “She bites one of their ass cheeks hard enough to leave a mark, sometimes even draw blood, and then she flees.”

 

         “She… what?” Jiwoo asked.

 

         “It’s stupid, I know.”

 

         Jiwoo sat back in the driver’s seat, staring at Jungeun in disbelief. She opened and closed her mouth several times, but no words came out. Jungeun shook her head, thoroughly embarrassed by her best friend, and looked out at the parking lot. She saw a figure drawing closer, frantically waving their arms in the air. She squinted, trying to get a better look at them and realized…

 

        “Fuck,” she whispered. “Start the car.”

 

        “What?” Jiwoo asked.

 

        “She’s back, start the car!” Jungeun said, reaching over and turning the key in the ignition.

 

        “HIT THE GAS!” Jinsoul shouted as she threw the back door open and flung herself inside head first.

 

        Jiwoo yelled in shock as she threw the car into drive and sped out of the parking lot. Jinsoul’s lower half was still hanging out of the car, her legs kicking wildly as she hoisted herself fully inside. Jungeun reached back to try to help and looked out the back window as two men in suits ran outside to watch them drive away. They pulled guns out of their jackets, but didn’t shoot. Jinsoul finally got herself into a seated position and slammed the door shut.

 

        “You’re fucking crazy,” Jungeun said between shallow breaths.

 

        “She was an animal,” Jinsoul said as she pulled her jacket back on. “She stripped all of her clothes off in one fluid motion and pounced before I could even react.”

 

        “I’m not surprised,” Jungeun scoffed. “Did you leave your mark at least?”

 

        “Sure did,” Jinsoul said with a cheesy smile. “She tasted like apples.”

 

        Jiwoo giggled softly, and Jungeun couldn’t help but laugh as well. She looked at her friends, a sudden feeling of warmth washing over her. If everything goes to plan tomorrow, she may never see them again, or at least not for a long time.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter: @breadjiin  
> curiouscat: breadjiin


End file.
